OK...maybe I'm not a complete wuss. I managed to get in my 50 mile week afterall!!!! Woohooo..yay me! Today was probably the best run I've had all year. The temp when I started was 46 degrees, slight wind (8-10mph), overcast skies. If there's weather I could hope for at Boston, it would be like today's (maybe with a nice 20 MPH tailwind, but I won't get greedy :-) Today I ran on the Mineral Wells State Railway Trailway (or whatever it's called). I love running on hard-packed gravel..especially a day after a good rain (no dust). Being that this trail used to be railroad tracks, it drains great. No puddles to dodge! The trail has a mile marker ever..er..mile. I park at the trailhead and run out half as far as I want to run for the day. When I reached the 11 mile mark, I still felt great, so I went to 12 and turned around. I knew I would get in 24 miles, one way or another. I was on a 8:09 pace at the turnaround (more downhill on the way out). I was trying to run by effort today. I planned to keep my HR between 130-140 for the first 20, then let it go from 140-150 for miles 21-22, then 150-160 for the final 2 miles. I stuck to it very well. This meant slowing down a little on the uphills, and speeding up a little down hills. I think I might give this "effort" thing a shot at Boston -- though I usually run "by feel" anyways. I kept thinking about what Kathie said about my last run of 3.85 -- and how she would have put in an extra .15 miles just to make it 4. Well, I felt so good when I got to the parking lot that I ran around it in an attempt to make up those .15 miles...when I hit the "stop" button on the Garmin it was 24.16 -- I was over by .01 miles. Doh!! What is Kathie going to think of that?! Avg Pace: 8:20 Avg HR: 139 I really need to order another pair of Asic Speedstars and wear them in a little before Boston.
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