Challenge fail

Today was the end of a challenge with a friend. The challenge was who could run the fastest 5k in three weeks. I honestly didn't think I had a chance to win it. That being said, I did come within 59 seconds of a personal record for the 5k distance so I was happy with that. My fastest 5k ever is 27'30" today's time was 28'29".

Better Late...

Sometimes it really is better late than never.  I didn't get started on my long run this morning until 9:45 which was about 45 minutes later than I wanted to.  (I got sucked into Mafia Wars on Facebook and lost track of time.)

I had eight miles to do today and I set out to finish it with a pace of under 11'00"/per mile.  I'd have been perfectly happy with that.  I ended up shattering that time and came in at 9'48"/per mile.  I was shocked!  I did one lap around the lake at Antrim Park and then went to the top of the Olentangy Trail and back.

Sunday 5/17/2009 Run

Geriatric Cadillac

Sometimes life gets in the way.  I was unable (maybe a little unwilling) to do my training run last night.  I felt bad about it so I went to bed a little early so I could get up at 5:00 this morning and TCB.  I forgot how peaceful it is to get up before dawn and put some miles behind you.  This morning was even better because I ran a negative split!

The one drawback to arising before dawn is that I'm out on the street at the same time as the oldsters getting up to go get their Bob Evans fix.  Monty Burns almost plowed me over with his Cadillac pulling out of the "assisted living" center.  He even looked me in the eye before he pulled out.  I don't know how much more visible I need to make myself.  Reflective tape on the shoes, a reflective vest with blinking lights, and white shirt.

Coffee and Advil

Note to self:  Advil before the run=good, 8 cups of coffee before the run=bad. I must've made four pitstops during the first four miles of my run today.  My left knee is kind of bugging me from playing catcher while warming up M's pitching arm yesterday. Advil and a knee gasket were an absolute necessity.

Holy crap!  I haven't completed a double digit mileage run in a while.  It's a good thing that I had two days off prior to today's run because I was antsy to get out and put some miles behind me. Today's 10 miler was tough, but the weather was nice and my time wasn't awful (bad, but not awful).

Another realization that I made today:  I'm going to have to find a better way to bring water with me.  Carrying a bottle sucks, I don't want to wear a belt with a bunch of bottles on it so I think my only other options are prepositioning water along my route or buying a Camelbak.

Lastly, happy mother's day to any mothers who might read this.

It's Official!

Well, the easy part is done. I signed up and am now an official entrant to the 2009 Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon Nothing like dropping $70 to start making me feel nervous about it. I've got a lot of work to do between now and then.

In other news, I had a good 4.5 mile run tonight. It was the first time that I've run with someone who runs faster than I do. It kept me motivated when I wanted to slack off and it kept my pace under 9'50" which I was pleased with.