This weekend is brought to you by the number 11...

Some interesting facts about the number 11. Who knew? 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. (OK, we knew that one...) Because eleven is the first number which cannot be represented by a human using his or her ten fingers, it is often considered a mysterious number.

Also, eleven is the smallest positive integer requiring three syllables in English.

Eleven is the 5th smallest prime number. It is the smallest two-digit prime number. 11 is the fourth Sophie Germain prime, the third safe prime, the fourth Lucas prime, and the first repunit prime. Although it is necessary for n to be prime for 2n-1 to be a Mersenne prime, the converse is not true: 211 - 1 = 2047 which is 23 × 89. The next prime is 13, with which it comprises a twin prime. 11 is an Eisenstein prime with no imaginary part and real part of the form 3n − 1. Displayed on a calculator, 11 is a strobogrammatic prime and a dihedral prime because it reads the same whether the calculator is turned upside down or reflected on a mirror, or both. (ummmm, right.... whatever all that means.)

In the film This Is Spinal Tap, guitarist Nigel Tufnel proudly shows off an amplifier with top settings of 11, higher than the traditional 10. The phrase "Up to eleven" in popular culture has come to refer to anything capable of being exploited to its utmost abilities, or to exceed them. Similarly, the expression "turning it up to eleven" may refer to the act of taking something to an extreme.

More than you ever wanted to know about eleven. Why do I care about 11? I don't know... I was born on the 11th day of January so it is my favorite number but today it was my favorite because I FINALLY broke back into the double digits in my running plan! My long run today was 11 miles. So I guess you could say I "turned it up to 11" (Honestly, I had never heard of that until I googled the number 11 today. Maybe I am out of touch...)

My initial plan for Saturday was to join the ATC for their 5mi/10mi/15mi run around Stone Mountain. It is a free race for club members, $5 for non. The event is billed as a low-key, non t-shirt event. My plan was to run the 10 mi race. Friday night, I decided not to run the actual race but to show up about the same time and start from my usual spot on the mountain track. I figured I would eventually bump into the runners (or they would bump into me, more likely) and I would still see my Dad at his timing station. My logic was if I knew the course already why get up early to register for the race and wait around for the official start, why not just get there around 8ish and start when I get there. Brilliant!

It had been so long since I ran any more than a handful of miles, I forgot that I probably needed a GU gel, something to eat after the run, etc. A mad search of the pantry ensues for where I might have put the gels and nutrition bars. Success!

I assemble everything, load up the car and head out the door...




The weather was great, a little chilly to start as my hands got a little numb but not too bad once I realy warmed up. (Nice job, God, keep up the good work with the weather!).





My plan to eventually run into some runners didn't really pan out. It appeared most of the people ran the 5 mile option so they were about 2 miles ahead of me since I started on the backside of the mountain. At mile 3ish, the REALLY fast people started flying by as though I were standing still. Their pace for the 10/15 mile race looked like my sprint. sick.

At mile 4, I spotted this poor soul all bundled up shouting out times to passers by. Yep, that is Dad. I stopped to take a picture and steal a cup of water. (i am a track club member after all - OK I did it to get advance registration for the Peachtree but whatever I paid my dues...)



and again at mile 9 :)



I decided to pass my car at mile 10 and get an extra mile in. I have a half marathon in 2 weeks so wanted to get 11 in this weekend and 12 next. Is there any better sight to see than your car at the end of a long run??



Ahhh.... 1219 calories later, but who is counting... mission accomplished! Off to the grocery store. Yes, a mistake after a run. A mistake when you are starving. I managed to get out of there without too many treats :) I did snag this one to try... It is a protein drink I have seen advertised at the gym. I thought it might be a good recovery type drink. I'll let you know...



Oh, and this one...


Rick said it looked like a pumpkin sandwich. Well, I guess that is true. sort of. I do love all things pumpkin... :) In the post-run high that followed my 11 miles, I managed to clean large portions of my house, do loads of laundry, make a huge batch of vegetable soup and roast a turkey - I was feeling a little protein deficient :) Is there anything better than the post run feeling?

On tap for today, my final singles league match of the season. I managed to tank 2 matches so may or may not make the playoffs. If I win today, I have a decent shot at getting in the playoffs. Luckily there will be plenty of sunshine so any failure on my part will have to be blamed on something other than the darkness. Perhaps my racquet string :) It couldn't possibly be the player! ha....