A Fine Friday Run

Friday 10.00 miles/1:21:11/8:07 average pace

The goal of this run was to practice my marathon pace. I didn't really do that (unless I end up running a 3:32 marathon... HA!) but it was a great workout and a fun run.

It was drizzling most of the time, pretty heavy at some points, so I ended up totally soaked. It was kind of fun though, it was my first run in the rain since spring and I felt hard core.

I made another friend- which was pretty amazing considering we were practically the ONLY two runners out there- and he really helped me keep my pace. He's a super fast marathoner who I have seen out running before, and he's a well-connected runner too. Apparently he knows Dean Karnazes!! And a bunch of other nationally competitive runners who I'd never heard of. He was super nice and told me about his marathon experiences, and I told him about mine. We are both running CIM so we talked about our training too. He not only helped me run 8:00-8:15 miles for about 30 minutes (which was obviously his warm-up pace, as he split off to do track work), but he really helped my confidence! He told me I had perfect form, and also told me I had the perfect body for running- tight and compact. It wasn't as creepy as it sounds... it was in context and either way, who cares! It made me feel damn good. He also told me I'll get my goal in Sacramento. I can't help but believe him.

here's my splits:

7:37 (oops)
8:30
8:31
8:15 (enter Mark, super runner and ego-booster of the week)
8:17
8:15
8:00 (bye Mark, and God friggin Bless you!!)
7:51
7:53
7:56

I was well ahead of my goal pace (let's call it 8:20), and I was pretty worn out by the end, so again I don't think this is reason to adjust my goal. I think I'm just running too fast in certain workouts. But once again, I'm feeling confident about my goal of 3:40.

I'm writing that out because I know that in approximately 2 weeks my confidence is going to take a nose dive and I'll be a complete wreck. Gotta love the taper.

PS I love that when I spell-check it always suggests I replace "marathoner" with "Mortimer." :D

Foggy, Soggy Thursday

Thursday 4.0 miles/36:45/9:11 average pace

It rained last night and was pretty wet out there this morning. It was actually kinda warm, which made it feel muggy. The run felt allright, my lower legs were pretty tight and I was too warm in my running pants and long sleeves. Actually it wasn't that bad, I just am a little grumpy today. I realized this earlier when I saw a posting about parking/garage use rules outside my apartment, and the number of typos made me want to go on a shooting spree.