Friday Five!

1.  SOAKED!  I attempted my 18 miler this morning.  Two miles in, it suddenly got dark, very dark.  By time I hit the wooded part of the trail, the wind started to blow hard.  Dead branches from the trees shot down like missiles.  And yet I continued forward through the thunder.  Finally after 3.5 miles, the rain hurt and the lightening started.  I started to feel like I was in the beginning scenes from The Wizard of Oz.  So I gave in and headed back.  Forty minutes later, running through the downpour, I was completely SOAKED.  Guess my long run will have to wait until Sunday...  7 miles, 73 minutes, 10:20 pace

BEFORE... heading out before the storm!

AFTER... soaked to the bone!

2.  BEACH BUMS!  Tomorrow we head to Chicago for a really fun race... Beach Palooza!  It's a 5K on Montrose Beach with wacky obstacles along the way (think beach balls and water noodles!).  My hubby and I enjoyed running this race in Daytona Beach last year for our anniversary, so when they announced a Midwest location this year, we signed up right away!

Nov 2010 Beach Palooza in Daytona Beach, FL

3.  FRIDAY FUNNY!  Saw this joke on I <3 to Run facebook page... and had to share for a good laugh!

4.  YOU LIKE ME!  You really really do!  My Facebook page -Run with Jess- surpassed the 200 mark, so I'll be doing a giveaway on Facebook!!  Come on over here and sneak in on the giveaway... Psst, thanks Runner...maybe!

5.  FRIDAY RACE SALUTE!  Good Luck to everyone racing this weekend, especially Kim at (Just) Trying is for Little Girls and Tonia at Racing with Babes as they tackle the San Francisco Half Marathon!  Are you racing?  Leave a comment so I can send you positive energy waves (magic!) before your race day.

Don't forget to check out the August Spin® Challenge!!