Joe and I got to have a "date day" on Saturday and we made the best of it with the beautiful sunshine. It's very rare for Joe to have a Saturday off so we decided to do something that we haven't done yet while living here. We went kayaking out on the lake. We boarded our kayaks down on the water near the University of Washington and had our choice of going north to Lake Union or east to Lake Washington. We chose east not knowing that all of the big boats on the water would be headed in the same direction. These kayaks took some getting used to as they were touring kayaks. I knew that they looked different as they were longer than the ones I'm used to. When I got in and had my foot pedals adjusted I thought I was good to go but as we got going I kept bumping into Joe and I didn't know why. He then instructed me to push on the pedals to change direction. And here I thought they were just foot rests! We headed in our intended direction and it was easy going for a while. That was until we hit the area that narrowed like a canal. Trying to make our way down the same path as the big boats proved to be challenging. The waves definitely proved to be an obstacle and left me feeling frustrated and wet. I should mention here that when I got dressed in the morning I was trying to put together something that was light weight but would keep me warm from the wind on the water. Why I thought a denim jacket fit the bill is beyond me. My sleeves were soaking wet and heavy with the first boat that went by. I learned my lesson in kayaking attire.
We continued our day with lunch near campus and then reading in the park. We did all we could to get our vitamin D.
Today brought rain and then sunshine and then rain again. Unfortunately I had to get in a 5 mile run in the very unpredictable day. I've been using a website where people have mapped their running routes and it has been helpful for me to get an idea of mileage. I was familiar with most of the area that I was going to run and knew that I would encounter a "few" hills. Well a "few" turned out to be an understatement. This was a route for the advanced runner which I am far from. My route went along Lake Washington and into a neighborhood with some really nice and very expensive houses. If it wasn't for my huffing and puffing maybe I could have enjoyed the scenery a bit. An hour and a half later I was left with aching legs and 2 battle scars in the form of blisters on the bottom and top of my feet. I've spent the rest of the afternoon moving in slow motion.