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11:00 AM - After going to church with Dad today, I went home, changed and headed to the track. Started with a walking warmup as usual, then ended up going 3.25 miles without stopping!! Then cool down walking and slow jog picking up all the litter and bottles around the track! Come on people! Don't litter! It's bad! Did my part though.

• Mile 1 - 13:53
• Mile 2 - 8:59 (jogging: Really good; surprised it was this fast!)
• Mile 3 - 8:45 (Did I read that right? :) )
• Mile 4 - 8:44 (Woot! Feeling awesome)
• Mile 4-4.25 - 2:15 (9:00 pace)
• Mile 5 - 12:23
• Last .1 - :53

Total Time: 55:55 Total Distance: 5.34 Average Pace: 10:28/ mile

1:00 PM - Squeezed in a quick workout between work and school. Really tired and stressed with all the stuff lately, but class tomorrow night is "optional" which frees up time to get this presentation for next week together. Crunch time this week so I can have the weekend off to watch the Trials and Boston!  Began with normal walking warmup, then eased into 3 miles in 31:17 (10:25 pace), then cooled down walking.

Total Time: 49:36 Total Distance: 4.25 miles Average Pace: 11:40/ mile

Thanks for all the great posts everyone! I am really wanting to enter the St. George Lottery now!!! It would be really exciting I think! Plus I heard it's a fast course, though since I don't train at such elevation, and gain from the negative elevation overall would probably be negated; though I would really like to be able to see Utah! That'd be fun! :)

I REGISTERED TODAY FOR ST. GEORGE MARATHON!!! CROSSING MY FINGERS! I CALLED UP AND TOLD EMMY, AND SHE'S SO EXCITED! SHE WANTS TO COME WATCH ME RUN IF I GET ACCEPTED INTO THE MARATHON. (SHE'S MY GOOD LUCK CHARM AFTER ALL AND HAS GONE TO MY LAST TWO MARATHONS!!) I CHECKED ON EXPEDIA.COM AND PLANE TICKETS WERE BETWEEN 300 AND 450 I THINK. AND IF I FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH (I.E. MAY) THEN WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE TICKETS ALL LINED UP! SO HAPPY! NOW I NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT A PLAN SO I CAN SET A HUGE PR!

2:45 PM - So today started off with work from 8am to 12pm, then to the dentist @ 1:30 where I found out that one of my molars that had been filled last time, hadn't been sealed completely.. so that's why I was having pain; so he had to give me three separate shots of novacaine and then drilled out the old porcelain filling, plus the "soft" parts that had developed (this hurt so much!) then he refilled it.  I went to the track afterwards, as it was 52 and sunny. I still can't feel the left side of my face and I might be drooling on the keyboard as I write this :)

• .5 mile warm up: 7:15 (14:34 / mile)
• Running! (there I finally said it!) Did three miles of running. Splits were : 8:16, 8:09, 8:12. Yes, I know way too fast, but no pain, and I promise that tomorrow will just be an easy recovery day. This is sweet sweet progress though :)
• Cooled down with a mile of walking and light jogging alternating every lap: 12:23

Total Time: 44:20 Total Distance: 4.5 miles Average Pace: 9:50/ mile!

9:45 AM - It's supposed to be a gorgeous day today with a high of near 70; Too bad I have to spend it inside doing homework and then later working until midnight! Decided to start the day off right with my normal walk-shuffle routine.  Ended up going for 1:00 even today! And better yet, no pain or soreness (besides in my mouth from the visit to the dentist yesterday!) Started with a warmup mile walk in 15:00, then eased into 3.5 miles of light jogging as I read a local running magazing The Pacesetter, total time of 37:20 (10:40/ mile), then cooled down with .5 miles of walking and stretching. Felt really great!

Total Time: 1:00:00 Total Distance: 5.00 miles Average Pace: 12:00/ mi

9:00 AM - Felt great today. Tired, but got some endorphins after hopping on the treadmill. Warmed up with 1.5 miles of walking, then eased into 3.5 miles of jogging in 37:20 (10:40 / mile pace), then cooled down with .5 miles of walking.

Total Time: 1:07:30 Total Distance: 5.5 miles Average Pace: 12:16/ mile

What I'm Reading Today: Picked up a copy of Marathoning by Bill Rodgers (c. 1980) and read the first 80 pages of it while on the treadmill today. It truly is amazing just how knowledgeable and gifted Rodges is. And to think that after his collegiate days for Wesleyan he was going ot give up the sport completely! (and arguably did for a couple years). He truly is a remarkable man, and having known and competed with the best of the generation (Shorter, Galloway, Burfoot).. he has so much insight into the sport of long distance running. I wish I had come across this book earlier, but I'm just getting to his narrative of winning Boston for the first time, and I'm absolutely hooked. Just a couple words I thought we can all take to heart:

"You often read about the Kenyan runners and the statements they make about why the American and European runners tighten up: that they worry too much about the other competitors; that they worry to much about individual times in a race, or about their splits....They refuse to let the pure naturalness of running take over." (pg. 47) How true is it that often we approach a race with a specified goal in mind, and then we set out 'on pace' to achieve that goal, only to flounder or get discouraged when we get a slower time. I have learned a lot in the last year myself, and found that the reason I improved in my races was both upping my mileage, as well as listening to the advice of a 15 year old brother who, while he doesn't truly understand the sport, perhaps understands a critical piece of racing. "Just race." he told me. Sometimes we can't always shoot for a PR. Or if we do, as Sasha has alluded to, we can't set out on pace for that PR, especially if conditions are unfavorable. We need to modify our approach. As Rodgers learned in his first experience with the marathon at Boston in 1973, it truly is a humbling experience.

"[A] runner must always retain his individuality as a runner. Never get caught up too much with the pack or with a coach. You have to think for yourself.... Let it filter through, be selective, and discard the rest. You must know yourself and what is right for you." (pg. 27)

"For most people who run marathons, it is and it should be that way.. It's not a race, except a race within yourself. Can you finish it? Sometimes that becomes a difficult question for a marathoner. An Irish marathoner I know described such situations best. He likened them to "a crucifixion." (pg. 57) Okay, so yeah Rodgers is clearly exaggerating, but at the same time he captures the essence of the marathon. The marathon is one of the most grueling races that the runner can endure. To approach it as a serious race, and truly lay everything out on the line can be the most painful experience one has to deal with. You can hit the wall and either stop, or endure the pain and push on for that self-gratification of crossing the finish line. Marathons in my opinion take on a spirituality - when you are out there, plodding along for hours, you get in a groove, and you focus on issues in your life. You take in the scenery, but at the same time you are constantly self-monitoring, and internalizing what this journey means for you.  I think that if you don't have a goal of what you want to get out of the marathon when you go in, you aren't going to come out with a sense of accomplishment. You will just come out feeling let down. I have great respect for all the marathoners out there, and the countless thousands of miles they have put into training. 

As we look forward to this weekend and the Olympic Trials and all of our fellow FRBloggers that are competing in Boston, as well as Ogden later this Spring and anyone else training for a race in the future, we should remember why we are doing it.  Whether it's for better health, for the runner's high, for a PR, for comraderie, or for the adrenaline rush and thrill of competition - remember that we are all runners together and that we all have the drive and determination to toe that starting line like a world class athlete.  We might not all have the athletic prowess as Rodgers, Shorter, Hall, or Sell but we all have a heart as big as theirs'. We have what it takes inside of us to reach the finish line. We understand that it will be a test of will, of endurance, but we have faith in our months and years of preparation, and we journey forth down that path intent on proving to ourselves we too deserve the thrill of victory. Best of luck to everyone in their training and racing.  Run strong. Run fast. Run for you. God bless.    

  - Benn -

7:00 PM - In Pittsfield, Mass. with Emma. We went to the Ashwilticook Trail that goes From Pittsfield north to Lanesboro and Cheshire. We started over by the Berkshire Mall and walked for a bit because I wasn't sure how I felt. Temps were in the mid to upper 60s and a slight breeze.  Things were really looking gorgeous tonight as it was just approaching the dusk hours and the sun was setting over the lake.

• Mile 1: 15:46
• Mile 2: 14:42
• Mile 3: 9:48
• Mile 4: 9:52
• Mile 5: 9:44

No pain, and felt calm and collected, though I got "chicked" big time by Emma! (and to think she claims she isn't a runner!) Feeling good, and anxious to come up with a plan for the 'thon in October.

Total Time: 59:52 Total Distance: 5 miles Average Pace: 11:58/ mile