Week 7

Sunday - Run 5.5 miles. Wait, what? Who typed that? Run 5.5 miles. It's only a half mile longer than last week. Since this is the last long run before my 10K on Saturday (that's in 5 days!) here is a mile by mile summary.

Mile 1 - Good. Mile 1 is always good. Yesterday was the first of 3 birthday celebrations this month. One of my very generous wonderful friends gave me an ipod shuffle. It is so tiny! I didn't even notice it.

Mile 2 - I've been doing my long runs on the LGCT and this part of the trail is a false flat so I have to watch my heart rate. When it gets above 170 I get kinda loopy and light headed. My running buddy and I were comparing songs on our ipods. I had a very random mix including a little Janet Jackson . . . gonna take you on an escapade . . .

2.75 - Half Way!! If I can make to the turn around means I will usually feel a little hopeful.

Mile 3 - This is when a tend to slow down a bit and there are a couple of little hills. Today I was trying to keep up with my running buddy and got a little light headed so I walked a little.

Mile 4 - Oof. Maybe party food and cupcakes weren't the best fuel. My heart rate was okay, but my legs were getting tired and didn't want to go. A little Katrina and the Waves perked me up a little. Then, it was deal making time. I said out loud, for accountability, "I'm not stopping until we get to the dog park." I made it and did a little walk/running under an overpass and down a steep hill. It was time to get this run over with.

Mile 5 - Half mile to go! Two laps around the track. Two more songs. "Rock This Town" by the Stray Cats came on and that kept me going. More deals, "I can't look at my watch until the song is over." .28 mile to go. One more song, I got a little, "We Used to Friends" to make it through the last little bit. I picked it up to finish strong. And, then . . . . the magical garmin said 5.5 miles. We were DONE! I was sooooo happy to be done.

Whew. I walked about .75 mile to cool down but when I got out of the car my legs were pretty weak. I followed up my run with two of Molly's post run things a cold bath and chocolate milk. And, I added a big cup a coffee, too. Ahhh . . .

If I can do that I can run another .7 on Saturday. Right? Even with the walking parts I averaged a 14.08 minute pace. There is hope for a sub 14 minute pace on race day. Molly is going to pace me on race day to keep my mind from wandering and keeping me focused. She is talking about motivational techniques. So far, we have ruled out a bull whip. My only other tip for her is we are "almost done" when there is .25 mile to go. I hate it when people yell out "you're almost done" when I'm only half way there. Halfway is nowhere close to almost, it is halfway.

I have just a few more short runs this week. I can't believe the weeks have gone by so quickly! Now it is time to play with my intimate friend the foam roller.