Seeking a better country...

16 miles, 7:50 ave pace.  (2:05)   Running for this long takes a long time.  I used a board for the slight downhill simulation.  Even my freaky morton toes are intact.  As a diversion, I finally watched Harry Potter 7.2  It was okay and grim.  The movies do a disservice to the books.  4 weeks from Boston, three weeks from travelling...I'm pretty excited.

7 recovery TM miles, along with the Amazing Race.  That show is pure comedy.

Lovely run prior to sunset, with Jack rolling along in the stroller.  He stayed awake sitting up for 2 miles.  After that he gradually relaxed one body part at a time, and slept for the rest of the jaunt.  I love looking down at his fuzzy head and stretching new skin of his fingers.  Conditions were perfect.

I didn't get home till after 10, and still needed to run.  I hopped on for an easy 10k.  I know I'm in full marathon mode when all the runs feel lousy until mile 4 or 5.  When things finally started to click, my time was up.  I went upstairs and found that everyone had gone to bed...I could have put in more miles after all.  

I was so late getting home because of an informational meeting on refinery expansion.  Currently 2 of the 5 refineries in Salt Lake and Bountiful are considering expansion.  They haven't applied for permits, but the writing is on the wall.  This is a horrifying possibility in terms of air quality.  Some of you may have gathered that this is a pet issue, but after 2+ hours of listening to specialty physicians describe the effects of PM 2.5 and aromatic hydrocarbon pollution on vessels and arteries everywhere in your body; heart, lungs, brains, eyes, developing infants, placentas, etc... Well, needless to say, there are ample reasons this is my pet issue.  I've even given serious thought to moving away.  

Bottom line, There isn't a soul along the Wasatch Front that isn't being poisoned by these industrial pollutants.  Every time there is reduction in air quality, there are both chronic and acute health problems noted by doctors.  It makes me sick to think about all the workouts I've completed while breathing in this gunk, not to mention all the other breaths, all day every day.  Check out this link for current action items, including refinery expansion and Rio Tinto expansion. Your health can't take any more of this!!!      http://www.uphe.org/priority-issues/air-quality

Long run with Tara and Andy.  Last time we ran together it was 35 degrees cooler.  Tara tried to kill us by adding in some hills.   At one point she remarked, "You'll thank me for this later."  It was currently taking much self restraint to not punch her in the face, but she's probably right.  When we dropped her at her house, we had done 4 uphill miles out of 12.    That left Andy and I with 8 to go, pretty much already trashed.  We gu'ed up, and headed to the edge of Farmington and back to my house, with a detour for me to change shoes.  Andy drove me to the brink of collapse, but we finished.  

I don't know which hat I'm going to pull another 10k out of.  (sentence ending in a preposition)    It seems a bit much to ask of taper magic, sea-level bump and race day adrenaline.  As I spent the last hour of the run gamely trying not to puke it occurred to me over and over and over again that this really isn't necessary.  Just because one time I wrote down sub-3 marathon as a goal doesn't mean I am strictly required to spend all this time, effort and money in pursuit.   "Controlled and strong" got me through 3-4 miles at the end.  It's funny the lies we tell ourselves to try to drown out the ugly truths that flow so easily from the subconscious mind at the end of a sustained effort.

Obviously, it's getting near the end of a marathon cycle.

After picking up my car, I went to my Dad's and changed out 5 exterior light fixtures.  3 hours after the run, I feel all right (Thanks, Rumbi Island Grill and 3 cans of Dew).  I'm looking at my 57.4 miles per week and thinking about getting in 2.6 more tonight.  Sick, sick, sick.  I may never take a stab at 60 in a week again. 

p.m.  3.2 miles at sunset with Jens to finish off the week, very slow.