Motivated to Succeed

7:45 AM - Overcast and foggy, kind of rainy and foreboding. I went to the track. Temperature was in the mid-50s and wasn't expecting people at the track, but when I got there there were already four people at the track. One guy in a blue shirt was going slow in Lane 3. He actually was still there when I left. I wanted to shake his hands for his tenacity to do a long run at the track, haha. A couple other people showed up before I left as well. Emmy stayed home and ran on the treadmill while I did a speed workout at the track. I felt amazing! Everything was absolutely awesome. I did about three and a half miles at a super fast pace and all were under seven minutes so I know that I could have probably been right around the twenty minute mark for a 5k if I were racing it. Splits were: 

• Mile 1: 8:03
• Mile 2: 7:57
• Mile 3: 6:13
• Mile 4: 6:10
• Mile 5: 6:52
• Miles 6-7: cooldown  about 8:30 pace for second half
  

The splits for the cooldowns in between each mile repeat were slower around 8:00 pace, and I didn't get the last split for the cooldown because I stopped it at the 10k mark. Can't believe how fast I ran the 10k. I am stoked!

Total Time: 44:58 Total Distance: 6.2 miles Average Pace: 7:16!

After the 10k, jogged another .8 miles and then went to the car. After a shower I packed up and went to Tanglewood with Emmy. It was really hot and sunny by this time, and gates opened at noon. We wanted to get there early because the show was sold out. It started at 2:30 and John Williams conducted the Boston Pops with awesome songs from Harry Potter and Star Wars. Then about 3:30 my man James Taylor took the stage singing hits like "Sweet Baby James", "Carolina on my Mind", "Something in the Way she moves", etc etc. It was a really great show and at the end he even threw in some extra songs because I guess some people got there late because of traffic. We actually got out of there kind of quick and came home and our friend Kara stopped by. She taught me a new card game that's fun called Egyptian Rat Fink or something like that. All in all a great day. Followed by ice cream at King Kone. Oh and yes, I had Guinness at the concert! Wonderful day. Super run, concert with a cutie, Guinness, James Taylor, and King Kone. The Perfect Day!!

9:00 AM - Sunny and clear blue skies, temperature in the mid 50s at the start and about 65 at the finish. I wanted to get a long run in on the trails and decided to go over to Wilton. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the training plan I had initially planned for said 11 miles @ 9:35 pace, but I felt pretty good, and really pushed the second and third loops at the Wilton course. This was the same course that I did the summer series on. The first loop was awesome, felt pretty good the second loop, really had to try to hold it together for the third loop. Finished with a 1.5 mile cool down on the roads. Feeling pretty confident about the whole 1/2 marathon thing coming up in less than three weeks. Probably try to get one or two more 10+ mile runs in before then. Left knee was a little sore at the end because of all the steep downhills. 

Later I went to Saratoga with Harry and my mom and I emptied my checking account and bought a Toshiba laptop because it seems my desktop is fried. Every time it goes to load Windows it gets to the screen with the little bar going left to right to say it's loading and it just turns off within two seconds. So I found a laptop that's actually better specs than the desktop that I had. Jonn said he can help me pimp it out with Microsoft Office which will help a lot. I am just a little stretched with school and regular work. Found out I have to do a full unit plan and five papers within the first seven weeks of the semester which started yesterday. Oh happy days. I feel bad for Emmy because the lack of communication at her work has struck a new low. She went to work on a hunch to check her mail box and found out the semester started yesterday!! So she not only has missed two days already but has to plan for three more. Oh yeah to make things even worse they didn't give her any curriculum for the courses. What a joke. I feel bad I told her to take the job. I didn't know the bosses would be such unorganized nincumpoops! Going back to the run, splits were really fast! Fastest long run I have done yet! :) Splits for the run today were:

• Mile 1: 8:57
• Mile 2: 8:37
• Mile 3: 8:54
• Mile 4: 8:30
• Mile 5: 8:46
• Mile 6: 9:02
• Mile 7: 9:05
• Mile 8: 9:03
• Mile 9: 9:14
• Mile 10: 8:56
• Mile 11: 8:12

"No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes." - Don Kardong

8:45 AM - Sunny and temperature was about 56 at the start, 66 at the end. Went to Spa Park to do a run on the trails. Got there and there were a lot of people milling about. It's the last week of the race track so maybe that's why. Also saw a tour bus for some country singer. The grounds were a mess. There was a concert there last night or the night before I guess. Cans and cups everywhere. I love how people don't respect the carry in-carry out policies and/or are too lazy to bring their trash to the garbage cans. Hit the trails and did 2 x 5k loops and then tacked on a bit by the golf course to hit 7 for the day. Felt pretty good. Legs feel stronger. Some soreness from the last run I did. Splits were: 

• Mile 1: 8:51
• Mile 2: 8:22
• Mile 3: 8:38
• Mile 4: 8:07
• Mile 5: 7:42
• Mile 6: 8:24
• Mile 7: 7:30

2:30 PM - Sunny and hot. 82 degrees at the start of the run today. Late start because my brothers had to get physicals this morning for school and then all of us met up in Albany and went to Crossgates Mall. Mom bought me a couple pairs of pants and some dress socks because I basically have no money after buying two hundred bucks of dress up clothes and a new computer. :( I owe her big time! Now I have at least seven dress shirts though for student teaching so that's good. Went to Old Navy and saw they were having a sale.. five shirts for $5 a piece! You can't get a shirt for five bucks any more, even if it is via running a race! Now it's time for a quick dinner and then work tonight and work all day tomorrow. Hopefully going for a run tomorrow night at Spa Park again with Emmy!

The run today was pretty good. I drank a waterbottle on the first loop and stopped at about 3.6 miles for about :10 seconds to refill at the natural spring. There was a passle of little prepubescent girls screaming as a boy chased them on a bike and I laughed but took off quickly because their shrill voices hurt my eardrums! Ran up around the pool and was surprised to see that it was open! It's been closed two years and is now all of a sudden open almost on Labor Day?! Weird. Felt pretty good. I think the first couple miles were faster than I wanted but there were just so many people and I had to get away from them! I hate it when I have to dodge people and/or feel them watch me. It's one thing at races, but for nonrunners to look at me while I'm running feels weird. Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:41
• Mile 2: 8:42
• Mile 3: 8:52
• Mile 4: 8:53
• Mile 5: 8:56
• Mile 6: 9:19
• Mile 7: 8:13

Can't wait for Emmy to come up this weekend. We are going to the Scottish Games on Sunday and then I found a freaking awesome race in Pittsfield on Labor Day... an 8 mile run up Mt. Greylock, the tallest mountain in Massachusetts! Figured it'd be good practice for the 1/2 marathon in a couple weeks. Oh, and I have to post pictures of the new puppy. We have officially named her Marilyn the Great of Galway, since she has a mole like Marilyn Monroe. She's adorable and full of energy and giving her older St. Bernard half sister (they had the same mom) Aggie a run for her money! Oh to be a St. Bernard owner.. life is never dull!

Total Time: 1:03:01  Total Distance: 7.20 miles Average Pace: 8:46

5:40 PM - Sunny and blue skies. Went running after work. Emmy got to work right at 5pm when I was getting out. We went over to Spa Park and went jogging. There were two weddings going on and we were talking about how that could be us in just a little over a year! Yay! Had to do a modified loop because of the weddings and the parties going on. I was going to do about seven, but my legs were super tired from this weeks runs and being on my feet all day. Add to that the fact that I closed last night and opened today and only had five hours of sleep, and it was not conducive of a good run. Still, was happy I got to run with a cutie! Anxiously anticipating the Scottish Games tomorrow, and the super awesome mountain of doom race on Labor Day! :)

Total Time: 35:00 Total Distance: 3.5 miles Average Pace: 10:00