THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

6.15 today at a gentle pace.  Time 56:15/9:08 average pace.  I didn't measure it out until afterward.  Drove into town today and ran around so that I would not have to deal with gravel, loose rocks, or dogs.  It was actually very nice!  42 degrees-perfect weather.  I ran up and down a nice one mile stretch 4 times for 4 miles, then ran down to the track, ran around it 3 times, and then back to my car.  I felt like I could fly on that track!  When I'm feeling healed up and gutsy I will probably go to the track for a one mile time trial since it will be more likely to deliver that sub-7 I've been asking for.  Got the ankle on ice but it still feels good!  Hamstrings are tight.

5.4 in 47:39--8:49 pace. Went into town again today to run since it was so nice yesterday not encountering any dogs. Ran about 2.5, got to the track, picked it up but kept it comfortable for one 8:18 mile, and then finished. Left hamstring is still tight. I will try to get it stretched out today.

6 miles today, as easy as I could make myself. The objective was to have a recovery run, and break in the new shoes--I want to wear them for the two mile race on Saturday. 9:15 average pace. I felt sluggish and side-stitchy today, so it was good I was not planning to run hard. I think my sluggishness is partly due to too rich of a diet yesterday--lots of cheese and peanut butter--it just kind of happened. Anyways the shoes felt okay--they are not as cushiony as I had hoped but they don't make anything hurt and they have more room for my toes(which like to spread out when I run). The plan for the rest of the week is easy recovery runs until the race on Saturday. It is a 2-miler-ick, that is too fast of a race for my blood. The plan is to go out hard, stay hard, and hopefully not crash and burn! I have no idea what my pace will be--as hard as I can make these short legs go for 2 miles!

5 nice and easy early in the a.m.   The upside--my legs felt fresh and light and it was a pleasant run.  The downside, it is WINDY and it is supposed to be windy on Saturday.  This translates to anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 the race into a gusty headwind, which means BLAH for times.  Maybe I will get lucky and find someone to draft off of running at a nice pace.  I enjoyed the "lightness" of my new shoes more today.

I did the same day-before-race strategy as last time.  Two easy miles with 4 brief surges of anticipated race pace.  Legs feel pretty fresh.  I think I will try for a long warm-up tomorrow-at least 2 miles, to get the legs nice and warm.  Anyways, now I'm off to catch up on housework, cooking, and chasing children.

It is finished.  I have mixed feelings about this race.  It was very cold today but breezy rather than windy--which was nice--no nasty headwind to fight.  I jogged around for 20 minutes before the race mostly just trying to get, and stay, warm.  I don't know the exact temperature but it was below freezing.  Anyways we all lined up, but the start was delayed for 5 minutes, so I was getting pretty cold again.  My first error was in not lining myself up more toward the front.  There was about 600 to 700 people in this race.  When the gun went off, it took a few seconds for my part of the crowd to surge, and then it was just packed and I was having a hard time accelerating to the pace I wanted to run because of the crowd.  I spent the first 3/4 of mile(estimate) zigging, zagging, ducking, and dodging.  I passed at least several hundred people.  Then the course turned off the road and onto a bike path.  I passed a few more people on the bike path and then settled in by myself between two packs.  There was no mile marker or splits called so I don't know how fast the first mile was.  Anyways I could feel myself fading a bit so I focused my thoughts on good form and leg turnover--this has always been a good trick to help myself fight a waning pace.  I caught up to the pack in front of me and eeeked by.  Towards the end one man from that pack passed me but other than that I did not get  passed.  Then I could hear the crowd at the finish line and it was over.  Just like that.  The negative:  I think I could have pushed a bit harder for several reasons.  First, I never entered the "puke zone".  I should have entered it toward the end if I was pushing as hard as I could.  This makes me think I would have "puke zoned" it and maybe squeaked through another mile at that pace.  Second, I felt really good afterward.  Too good. I came home and did a sort of guilty 4 mile recovery run in 34:54.  I have way too much left over.  The positive:  I won first in my age division(I think all the elite speedsters where over in the 10-mile race).  Lastly, I think that sub-7 minute  miles are within reaching distance now.  I can't wait to grab 'em!  Next race, if I can find someone to watch the kids for a few hours, will be the 4-mile in the jingle bell run in two weeks.  This may be a bit ambitious of a goal but I would like to finish it in about 30 minutes.