Motivated to Succeed

10:00 AM - Went running at the bike trail while Harry stayed home and watched part of the Brazil/Netherlands world cup match. Got home in time to see the sick double header goal! Brazil just totally self destructed in the second half! My run on the bike path was good. An awful lot of people out but after a mile it thinned out. I am going to try to do most of my long weekend runs on the bike path to get ready and to better gauge pacing for the marathon as about 20 miles of the marathon is on the bike path. Thoughts on this? Also I thought about BQ time of 3:10:59, which I think is 7:09 pace? I don't really see myself ever being able to sustain that for a marathon, but I would be happy with a respectable finish and/or beating my mom's PR of 3:42 or my dad's of 4:02.

• Mile 1: 8:22
• Mile 2: 8:07
• Mile 3: 8:00
• Mile 4: 8:01
• Mile 5: 7:44
• Mile 6: 7:17

Total Time: 47:55 Total Distance: 6.06 miles Average Pace: 7:55

7:00 PM - Emma had to work at BWAC after a full day at the spa. Oii. But Harry is still up and we went with her. Harry and I played racquet ball and tennis (I lost 6 games to 5 in tennis). I did 1.50 miles on the dreadmill and worked on cadence. 180 steps per minute is tough at 8:00-8:30 pace. I could only get up to 160 or so without feeling really silly. Will continue to work on this.

9:00 AM - A loop up at Olivia's Lookout. Was a "star" for five seconds as two different groups of young girlscouts it looked like were hiking up as I was coming down. I was hitting solid 7:30 pace coming down today and I am really getting better at negotiating descents on O.L. Scared one group and the first group gave me a round of applause and said way to go! Total was around 31:00. Hope to go running later with Emmy when she gets out of work!

6:00 PM - SAW MY FIRST EVER BLACK BEAR!! Went to Olivia's with Emm and Harry. Harry was going to hike and Emm and I were jogging. I was a bit ahead of Emm when I came around this turn going uphill and I see what looked like a 5.5-6' tall young man dressed in a black hoodie and skull cap jump off the trail. I stopped and looked closer and saw it scramble on all 4s up the embankment and realized, "OH boy! A BEAR!" Turned and ran back down grabbing Emm and Harry with me. We got to the parking lot and Emm warned a guy but he was going mountain biking and said he sees them all the time. We opted to go up to Ice Glen instead down in Stockbridge. Beautiful weather. Lots of traffic as James Taylor opened at Tanglewood tonight. On our hike up to the fire tower Emm pointed out an OWL! CooL! I hear them at Olivia's but never see them. Then another flew in and we heard a third one. Pretty darn neat! Ran most of the way down. About 1 hour for the 3 mile hikes.

8:20 PM - 80 degrees, humid. Last night that Harry is up. Going to miss my littles broski. He's been here since last Sunday. It's been a fun week! Emm and I ran while Harry went on my road bike on the trail. Got a few looks as we headed out considering it was getting after dusk when the trail closes. It's the only time we can fit it in though. It's been pretty hot. I ran up ahead and hit the 1 mile mark, turned back and ran into Emmy about .25 miles back, then we ran together to the 2.35 mi turn around by the duck pond. Stretched and ran back. Felt good. Last mile in complete darkness. Both Emm and I got bugs stuck in our eyes right after one another. Still managed a strong last mile. Felt great!

Total Time: 44:08 Total Distance: 5.10 miles Average Pace:  8:39

 8:30 PM - Went running at the bike path again. Hot, humid. Temperature 87 degrees at the start. This is not going to be a good week. Projected high tomorrow is 97, Wed. is 95, and Thurs 93. Yuck! Went running by myself. Emm was on the computer with her bridesmaids Kara and Missy looking at registry stuff. Exciting! Felt good. I saw a white tailed deer that was actually more startled then I was at mile 1. Then saw 2 "Warrens" (aka rabbits) and a family of ducks at mile 2. Mile 4 saw one more rabbit, though it was so dark I nearly tripped over him! Felt good except for lately I have been having indigestion while I run at night. I think it might be these organic fruit icepop things we have been eating. That's the only thing I can think of, or perhaps pepper on salads?

• Mile 1: 8:19
• Mile 2: 8:21
• Mile 3: 8:28
• Mile 4: 8:16

Total Time: 34:21 Total Distance: 4.12 miles Average Pace: 8:21

This morning my family came out and we saw the Pittsfield July 4th Parade. Saw one of my students and a few others I guess were there and expressed their utter outrage on Facebook that their history teacher Mr. Griffin was not in the 5k. I was watching it but it was already 88 out when the race started. Emm walked it with a few ladies from the spa where she works. The winner was David Raucci (a few of my buds from college used to run with him). He is one of the top runners in NY and has the 5k course record here at 14:40. He ran a 15:14 by himself with no competition. Not bad. The winning woman was Allison Krohl who came in 5th overall I think and ran a 16:50 resetting her own course record. 16:50 is not bad at all for a 5k is it? I wish I could break 20:00 again lol. After the parade we all barbecued at Emmy's house.

3:45 PM - Yuck, yuck, yuck! Heat index of 105 degrees today. Dangerous! Saw one crazy runner outside in Nassau, NY while I drove to NY to return my old license plates. Temp in the valley was 99 degrees!!!! The house feels like it is on fire. Emmy works until 7ish I think but I'm hoping we can set up an air conditioner or something for us later today. Tomorrow is supposed to be 94 and Thursday 93. Really nasty! Ran 30:00 on the treadmill after taking a study break. I have a MA teacher licensure exam on Saturday.

Total Time: 30:00 Total Distance: 3.25 miles Average Pace: 9:13

10:00 AM - Another record high today. Projected to be 95. Went to the basement and put a small fan on high in front of the treadmill and ran while the tour was on. Emm's treadmill is stuck at 2% incline and I have to hunch over slightly so I don't bang my head. Good times! Warmed up with a mile and then did 10 x 2 mins "on" @ 7:30 pace with 1 min "off" at 9:13 pace. Cooled down as I watched Pettachie win Stage 4. I was sorry to see that Frank Schleck is out. I hope Andy pulls through in the mountains. He's my favorite contender. Cooled down in the small pool on the deck for a couple minutes. Lunch time and more studying for the test on Saturday. Hopefully a run tonight with Emmazingful.

Total Time: 1:00:00 Total Distance: 7.02 miles Average Pace:  8:33

8:00 PM - Still a scorcher. Emm got home early around 5 tonight so I got to see her a bit more than usual. We went running on the bike trail. It was 89 degrees at the start (GAG!). Absolutely disgusting. I took off my shirt halfway through only because it is uncomfortable for me to wear a wet cotton shirt. I need to invest in more technical shirts because I sweat that much! Also going to get some compression shorts because the last two weeks I have dealt with chafing in my nether regions which is severely discomforting especially when trying to walk around the next day.

Total Time: 44:05 Total Distance: 4.65 miles Average Pace: 9:29

9:00 AM - Another hot one. Projected high of 92 and higher humidity then yesterday. Went running after Emm went to work on the treadmill in my Vibrams. 2% incline for 5.10 miles. Felt okay except the chafing in unmentionable places which I had to cover with bandaids to make the run bearable. Going to go to Dick's Sporting Goods in Pittsfield tonight to look for underarmour heatgear I think. Chafing is not pleasant. No sir, not at all!!!

Total Time: 46:50 Total Distance: 5.10 miles Average Pace:  9:11

10:00 AM - Went running on the treadmill. Legs a little heavy this a.m. Ended up doing a bit over 4 miles. Felt good. Today I need to get to work doing all the things that need doing. Oii. Fun Fun. MTEL certification test tomorrow and then going home to take Harry to a Bon Jovi concert with Emm and then staying home I think for a day or two because my dad is going to have surgery.

Total Time: 37:50 Total Distance: 4.25 miles Average Pace:  8:54

9:00 AM - Can't catch a break. Rain, rain and more RAIN! Woke up and it was absolutely downpouring. Emm went off to work early and I have been nervous because I have a certification test today at 1:00pm. I have to pass it in order to keep my job. It's a test on World and U.S. History from the dawn of civilization until 2010. Oii not too bad huh? I excel at essays so I am not worried about the open responses, however it seems unfair in that 100 multiple choice questions = 80% of your grade and the 2 essays = only 20%. I must get a 240 out of 300 total points in order to pass. I heard from someone they are similar to the NYS exams, though the practice exam I took was wicked hard!!!

Chilling right now and going to have lunch soon. Watching the first serious mountain stage of the Tour de France. Felt really good this morning. Legs not as tired as yesterday. Going to run a trail 5k for fun on Monday with Emmy, maybe my brothers and one of my groomsmen Jonathan. Should be a good time.

First mile today was 8:39, then settled in nicely to a good pace. Ran inside on the 'mill because it was thunder and lightning out there. last .5 miles I sped up to 7:45-8:00 pace. Good times! Hopefully test goes alright today then I can start planning for next year! I haven't been able to focus because of this stupid test anxiety!

Total Time: 43:40 Total Distance: 5.25 miles Average Pace: 8:19

6:15 PM - Hot, hot, hot! 96 degrees and humid at the start of this baby. A scorcher! Emm was up yesterday to go with the family to see Bon Jovi @ SPAC. We had a pretty good time, but we learned a very valuable lesson, that it is not just 20-somethings that seem to enjoy indulging in alcohol and other stuff. We were having more fun people watching then anything else. Felt like the speakers facing the lawn were not on or something and the performance was not very loud.

We celebrated my mom's 49th birthday today, or as I so thoughtfully pointed out on her card, the "20th anniversary of her 29th birthday". :-P My mom's birthday is actually July 13th, but we are celebrating it today because tomorrow we are getting up at 3am to drive to the hospital in Albany with my dad. He is undergoing a valve replacement surgery on his heart. I am planning on sitting with my mom during the operation so she is not alone and seeing my dad when he gets into the recovery room.

Now, without further ado, LA RACE REPORT!!!

Warm-up: No time really to do a warmup so I parked the car and walked over to register. It's a low key event, $5 registration fee (used to be $3). You don't get a bib or anything, just sign a waiver form and give a name and phone number. They keep track of places by the honor system, filling out a card with your name and time and age and putting it in a box. Has worked really well in the past.The recent spike in entry fee is to accomodate a second charity. Generally the money goes to support the Wilton Wildlife Preservation of which Camp Saratoga adjoins, but now $1 is also going to a new charity to benefit children which I am all for! As I was walking across the parking lot I ran into my old English teacher from 9th grade. She was there running the 5k with her family in part and parcel to the new addition of a family award for the most points for a family at the end of the 5 race series. Said hi and kept walking, soon after which I heard "GRIFFIN! GRIFFIN!" I turn and see another English teacher, my 7th grade one who is here for the same reason as the first. We have a nice rivalry that goes way back, mainly because in the 5 race series, held biweekly on Monday nights for July and August, she and I try to beat each other. Well actually, what usually happens is that she shows for the first or second race, runs a faster time than me for that race, and then doesn't show up again :-P. I tend to get faster as the races go on. I missed the first race but I had a good excuse.. I was WORKING IN MASSACHUSETTS! :)

We made small talk as we registered and I found out she was here running the 5k with her son and daughter. Her daughter's first 5k! What a course to choose! Hills, hills, and more hills?! I also talked with Laura Clark, a running buddy who is also the race director, and with Jon Couch whom I haven't seen in a while. Chatted about how I am doing the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon again in October, to which my English teacher said, "Oh what'd you get the first time? I ran a 4:17!" I resigned to saying that she had beaten my time, a 4:26, though she did not let me get a word in edge wise to help myself excuse my poor performance. I am confident that I am, despite my weight in the best physical condition of my life! If I can lose some lbs and retain the strength I will be a force to be reckoned with, at least as far as middle of the pack runners go!

Walked to the starting line, and listened to directions. A few stragglers came running over the hill right before the gun.

MILE 1: (7:09) Mile 1 is always a mixed blessing. I know the course like the back of my hand as I have raced here over 30 times. There are two substantial hills that thin the pack, but other than that it is flat. I positioned myself in the middle at the start, a contrast to my normal start from the back mindset. But there were a lot of slow people and children and I had a lot on my mind with my dad's surgery so I wanted to leave some of it out on the trail. Took off and found a comfortable position. Passed about 10 people or so. Made my way through the 90-degree turn and off out of the field into the woods.

MILE 2: (7:39) I have come to learn over the years that if you go out too hard on this course, you WILL BE DECEIVED & you WILL BE HUMBLED! I decided not to look at my watch much as splits on this course are deceiving as well. Each mile gets incrementally harder, so to attempt to run even splits is not wise. I instead actually "raced", choosing my target, a 6'4" hulk of a guy wearing a Lance bracelet, yellow Lance shirt, Lance shorts, and Lance shoes. Oh to be able to drop $300 for this lovely ensemble at the sporting goods store (sarcasm implied). Made our way up two more terraced hills. Starting to breath heavy and the sweat flowing. Almost to the road.

MILE 3+: (8:33 for 1.1 mi) Another trick that comes with knowing the course, is knowing on which one of the dozen or so hills that line this route to surge on. Also not relying on what the crossing guard tells you! I remember a couple years ago I was in the race with my dad and the crossing guard told us, "Way to go! You're halfway there!" This on an already slow course that says to add 2-3 minutes to a road 5k at the 2.2 mile mark when you cross. Ugh! The last mile is all about maintaining and I very rarely pass anyone because the undulations and twists and turns prevent it until the finishing shoot. I stayed behind Sir LANCElot until about .5 miles to go where there is a very large 200m downhill. Another lesson learned. Do NOT try to slow on this descent or you WILL get hurt! I just put the engine to the max and flew down the hill, up the embankment and down onto the long 1/2 mile singletrack leading to the finish. A lady had passed me right before the downhill and I basically said, Oh heeeeeccccckk no! Took her out going into the single track (another lesson learned the hard way countless times). Caught LANCElot with 300m to go and I heard a pack of 4 closing on me. I used my "speed" and put :04 between me and them in the closing straightaway. Crossed the finish line in 23:21, good for 14th place overall. (Generally the first race I do on this course in the season is in the mid 25:00s so this was good! Also considering the excessive heat) Oh yeah, I beat the first woman overall so I did not get chicked!!

THOUGHTS & COOLDOWN: As I jogged about my mile cooldown I decompressed the race. Overall a very strong performance, however I am lacking stamina for the short 5k distance. I suppose this is due to the fact I have done LSD for a majority of the year with only occasional tempo miles thrown in. I want to work a bit on speed this summer going into the fall racing season to see how close I can get to a couple of my PRs. Also want to get serious about losing the weight I am always talking about. Jim Fixx said that every pound shed can knock off :02 per mile at the same effort. So does this mean I am running a lot harder then the 110 lb scrawny people next to me?! lol. I anxiously anticipate entering a few 5ks this summer if not for fun then for cool swag and the chance to beat the pants off other weekend warriors!

Note: Legs are sore. Could feel lactic acid in the closing .25. Will definitely be feeling this tomorrow, but it will be a good hurt!

Send thoughts of encouragement for my dad as he has his surgery tomorrow early a.m.!

9:00 AM - Went running at Spa Park today. Yesterday was a long day. I spent 6 hours in the waiting room with my mom waiting for his surgery. We started to get worried when we still had not heard and it said he was in the OR an hour after the scheduled end to surgery. Good and bad news. Bad news was they ended  up doing 3 different surgeries. Good news is that they were all a success. They were able to repair his valve without having to put a mechanical one in. Then they found a congenital hole in his heart which they fixed (I had one myself as a kid but it healed on its own). Then they also found an enlarged left ventricle and they trimmed it down. The doctor suspected that a combination of all of these contributed to my dad's high blood pressure and why he was always tired the last few years. Am writing this retrospectively on Friday. It has been a busy few days and I have gone to and from the hospital every day. My mom stayed over and slept in the waiting room the first two days. She came home last night (Thurs) and then will be going back each day until he comes home on Monday or Tues. I will admit that it was absolutely terrifying to see my dad right after his surgery hooked up to no less than 14 different IV drips, with his eyes taped shut and on a respirator. It was really scary and I did cry a bit, but made sure not to let my mom see because it WAS her birthday after all. This week has really been a whirlwind and has solidified more than ever my belief that family comes first. Life is too short to get hung up in petty differences. I lost a friend from h.s. on Saturday. She was camping and a tree fell on her. Kind of crazy and heartbreaking. She was just 24. We don't know how long we have on this earth and cannot control the quantity of days and nights we spend here, however what we CAN control is the QUALITY of those days and nights. Keep the faith!

Total Time: 42:00 Total Distance: 5 miles Average Pace: 8:24

9:00 AM - Ran on treadmill before going to hospital. Thinking a lot about my dad.

Total Time: 33:10 Total Distance: 4 miles Average Pace:  8:17

9:00 AM - Ran on the treadmill before hospital. Meditating about life's brevity and the meaning of true love and friendship and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Total Time: 24:47 Total Distance: 3.10 miles Average Pace:  7:59

9:00 AM - Exhausted last night. Another scorcher in the midst today. I really am coming to loathe summer more and more :( I wish we had a summer house up in Maine or something! Or Norway. I hear it's nice there. Ran on the treadmill @ 2% grade. Sweat box. Sweat so much! I bought a .5 gallon igloo thermos for $5 at Dick's and I drank it all within the first 45 minutes. Refilled it and drank it all again before the end of the run. That's something like 3.8 L or something crazy! And the sad thing was that I was STILL thirsty afterwards! Did 10 miles in 1:27:42, good for 8:46 a mile and about 8:20-8:22 effort based pace as per online chart (right on target for what I should be shooting for). I was supposed to do 14 today. It's just not going to happen. Cut my losses and live to fight another day, just like Lance. .5 mile cool down afterwards.

8:00 PM - Late run in Galway, NY with Emm. We went and saw my dad in the hospital. He looked really good! He is up and walking around now and says that the doctors, nurses, even the cleaning staff are the friendliest hospital staff he has ever dealt with. That says a lot because he is really afraid of hospitals like I am. He should be home on TUESDAY!! Amazing considering he had open heart surgery just last Tuesday!

Took Emm on a run I did for high school track and xc. Ran from the school down to Crane and back. Splits were (8:47, 8:14, 8:03) for 3.16 miles in 26:22 <--Really neat, right? You know you're a long distance running junkie WHEN you try to get your times to equal race distances. (I find I do this with my car too and aim for 26.22 when filling my car at the gas station lol!)

Then walked down to the track as Emmy had fun howling back and forth with two coy dogs in the woods. There was a lady on the track but I think she headed for the hills after hearing that one. Wanted to do a mile on the track (tempo). I knew I couldn't go all out and beat the 5:55 I had a few weeks ago, but I wanted to see just how out of shape I am since I haven't done good speedwork. Lap splits were: 1:33, 1:35, 1:34, 1:35. Total was 1.04 miles in 6:16 (6:03/mile pace). Pretty pleased with this!

Cooled down .47 in 4:03 around the parking lot average of 8:34/mile.

Total Time: 36:43 Total Distance: 4.67 Average Pace: 7:51

4:00 PM - Sunny and temperature 92 degrees at start. Had a dr.'s appointment now that I finally have health insurance again thanks to Obama! Has been a long 8 months without it. I was alarmed to hear I was 208 lbs though! I feel like a fatty! Went running on the bike trail in Pittsfield while Emma rode about 18.5 miles in an hour. I was hoping for 7 miles, but it was just insane. Like running through a sauna! Turned around at the 5k part and ran hard until mile 5. Cooled down for 1.20 miles. Splits: 

• Mile 1: 7:59
• Mile 2: 7:58
• Mile 3: 7:43
• Mile 4: 7:47
• Mile 5: 7:54
• Mile 6: 8:30
  

9:15 AM - Today is going to be a busy day. Really have to buckle down and start to map out the CAGs (Curriculum Alignment Guides) for next year. Ahh. Summer's already over for me and it's just begun :(. A busy day already with doing dishes, laundry, and cleaning up a not so nice mess that Ruby Gato left the other day when she was locked in the bedroom. Watched the tour. Lance actually doing something and trying to win a stage. Go figure! Was hoping to see Andy try to sock it to Contador, but it looks like tomorrow will be the day as it finishes on an uphill tomorrow. Felt good today on the treadmill, running at 2% grade. Legs a bit tired, but pushed through and ran all the way through the 6.

Total Time: 51:47 Total Distance: 6 miles Average Pace: 8:37

9:15 AM - Went jogging before starting in on lesson planning today after Emmy left for work. I felt pretty good. Watched some of "Running on the Sun". Love that DVD :D. Also am reading Ed "Frozen Head" Furtaw's book about the Barkleys. Pretty sweet! Hope to go running with Emmy later too.

Total Time: 52:11 Total Distance: 6 miles Average Pace: 8:42

9:00 AM - Last day in the mountains for the Tour this year. Was hoping to see Andy make a move, but I think he did ride brilliantly. I was happy that Contador let him win the stage because I was going to flip if after trailing him the whole time he rode over him at the line. Felt good. Gearing up for another day of work planning. Ugh! Legs felt good. Need to get a long run in here soon. Ran the last .5 miles sub 7:00 pace. Woot!

Total Time:  53:52 Total Distance: 6.25 miles Average Pace: 8:37

9:15 AM - Raining all day. I am taking Harry and his friend Sam (one of my former 8th graders) to a Rush concert tonight at SPAC. Should be a blast! Wanted to get in some sort of run today. Did easy warm up and then 3 x 800's at about 6:18-6:20 pace, then a cool down. Felt good.

Total Time: 39:51 Total Distance: 5 miles Average Pace:  7:58

7:45 PM - Took Harry to see RUSH at SPAC last night. Most amazing show EVER! I am definitely going back next year. I have never seen a bunch of better performers in my life! They were amazing! Tonight I went to go running at the track. Had my own fan club. Some guy was there walking the opposite way and we commenced a series of bi-lap conversations i.e. "Hey" "How's it going" "Looking Good" "Nice pace" "Honest pace keep it up". Was kind of nice :D. Did a .67 mile warmup @ 8:44/mi, then 2 x tempo mile (awesome considering theheat 85 degrees and high humidity, ~85%) in 6:51, 6:49 - total of 2.06 miles in 14:01 (6:49 average). Cooled down with 1.03 @ 9:05 pace.

Total Time:  29:13 Total Distance: 3.75 miles Average Pace: 7:47

7:00 PM - Weird weather today. Overast - sunny - overcast again. Temperature at the start of the run was high 70s. Actually felt coolish for once! Phew! Went running with Emm at the bike path. We went out to the ducks and back. Stretched when we got there and then headed back. Emm said she wasn't feeling too well and was somewhat lightheaded. We stopped for a second. She said to go ahead, so I ran to the end of the bike path and turned around and ran backwards meeting her at the .4 to go mark and then ran back in with her. I think she was dehydrated. She underestimates just how much she really needs to drink during the summer!

Total Time: 46:27 Total Distance: 5.31 miles Average Pace: 8:45

5:00 PM - Drove from Massachusetts to Wilton, NY for the summer 5k series. Don't know if I'll drive all the way out again, but I have run this race over 30 times, and I like the course. I was a little sore from the tempo miles I ran two days ago, and I was over an hour early for the race. So I decided to run the race as a tempo-ish run. For a warmup I ran the 3.10 mile course once in 28:19 (8:51, 9:32, 9:30). I stretched and sat in the car with the A/C a little bit. I was a little tired and legs felt heavy. 

THE RACE:

MILE 1: (7:34) - Started out a bit faster then I wanted. This is the flattest mile on the course though and I chose to just follow a father/son duo. Decided I would slow down in the second mile when we got into the steeper section of the woods.

MILE 2: (8:09) - Slowed down and felt more comfortable. I can run forever I feel sometimes in the 8:00-9:00 range. Got passed by a group of four and then had a really asthmatic runner behind me. He would follow me until I just had to let him pass me for a bit because it was getting annoying during mile 3. I ended up passing him with a 1/2 mile to go and beat him to the line easily. I wonder sometimes if I sound like that when I breathe?

MILE 3: (8:31) - Plugging away on the big hills now. Felt pretty good. Thinking about the wedding for some reason. 82 days until the big day! So much to do in so little time. Will I be ready? Will I faint? What will it be like?! Oops crap! Finish line. Kicked it in across the dam. No sweat. Done and in for another day. Need to start ramping up the miles though to be ready for the marathon. Eek!

Total Time: 24:34 Pace: 7:54 Place: 27th

COOLDOWN: .52 miles in 5:00 - jogged up the trail a bit and back before going to meet my second cousin Annika and my mom at Stewarts for ice cream. I got two scoops of cotton candy icecream, my absolute FAVORITE! A great end to the day.

Total Time: 57:53 Total Distance: 6.75 miles Average Pace: 8:34

Quick run in the Vibrams today as a recovery run while I watched an episode of "The Office". Love that show! 2.26 miles in 20:00; average of 8:51 a mile.

9:30 AM - Was going to run at the Pittsfield State Forest but when I approached the guy came out of the booth and wanted money. I said heck no and backed up and went on my way. I don't see why I should pay $5 for my vehicle. I figured that he would stop me again if I came back on foot, so I went to the bike path. Eased into a nice jog. During mile 1 a woman approached all ecstatic about having seen a fawn about .5 miles up the trail and how we were sure to see how cute it was. Of course the fawn was gone by the time I got there. It was warming up quickly. Projected high of 88 today. I ran 3.11 miles out in 25:30, then turned around and came back in 26:00. I was kind of tired. Got to my car and was anything BUT delighted to find I had a flat tire. Don't know how it happened, but the bike path last time we were there someone's window was smashed out. I have no doubt I probably ran something over, but oh well. I went to the mechanic and he said I'd have better luck with a used tire because since my other tires are somewhat worn already it might pull the car out of wack. The joys of a high mileage car. Emma and Ericka seem to be having fun at the week long course. We might go out for a show tonight at an outdoor stage.

Total Time: 51:28 Total Distance: 6.25 miles Average Pace:  8:14

7:00 PM - Temperature was around 85. Ran at the bike trail from LuLu's this time. Just ran an easy 3. Lots on my mind so I came back faster than I went out. Out in 14:00 Back in 11:51. Ran with Emm until about mile 2 then took off.

Total Time: 25:51 Total Distance: 3 miles Average Pace: 8:37

9:30 AM - Tired last night. Ran easy 4.26 in 37:30; average of 8:48/mile.

2:00 PM - Bought new pair of Reebok Heat Spandex. Ran 2.5 miles easy in them between 8:45 and 8:50 pace.

9:30 AM - Tired. Slept nine hours last night! First day not in the 80s or 90s basically this entire summer. Was 52 this a.m. when I woke up and 70 at 9am. Went running from the causeway up into Pittsfield State Forest. Did a loop up the mountain and down the other side, then back to the car. Felt good. Had two 10:30-12:00 miles going up. Rest were mid-8's with a fast 7-7:15 coming down.

Total Time: 1:21:28 Total Distance: 8.5 miles Average Pace: 9:35

Funny sidenote: This was the first time I have ever ran without a shirt on in public. Had to shed the cotton t-shirt about 1/4 of a mile down the mountain. It was just downright uncomfortable running in a soaking wet tshirt. I have no idea why I sweat so much! Feel sorry for all the ladies and guys having to look at my runner's farmer tan!

8:00 PM - Went to the bike trail with Emm. Emm's dad made nice chicken curry for dinner and it was fantastic, but I regretted it on the run. I tried to power through it but it was bad. I hate heartburn! Emm said I have to get antacid tablets or something. It's only in the evenings after I run. We ran out to the ducks, stretched and then back. Coming back the pace was much faster. I was just trying to get back to the car. My vision is horrible at night even with glasses on, but I took off my prescription sunglasses to try to get some more light and I couldn't see more than two feet in front of me! Was really hammering the last .5 mile but then a rabbit ran out in front of me in the twilight and I stopped really quickly. Felt a minor twinge in my left knee, though the next a.m. when I'm writing this no pain. Phew! Splits:

• Mile 1: 9:15
• Mile 2: 8:50
• Mile 3: 8:35
• Mile 4: 8:06
• .64: 4:45 (7:23 pace)
  

Total Time: 39:30 Total Distance: 4.64 Average Pace: 8:30