Seeking a better country...

6 miles on Porter Lane, back and forth from the cemetery to the frontage road.  Overall pace was 7:22.  If I could complete this workout in under 40 minutes, that would really be something. 

I got home from choir and headed out around 10:15.  After a couple pretty hard miles, everything felt REALLY funny.  My legs were like squiggly blocks.  I walked for a bit, and tried to pull things together.  I started running, and it took me a mile to remember I hadn't eaten anything since the La Hacienda bomb at lunch.  After it made sense, I decided to "rise above it" and ran home hard.  I never felt good, but I got it done.  Overall pace was 7:40.  No splits because my kids ran the battery out on the garmin.

Same run as Tuesday night, only I ate a piece of toast before I left, and it wasn't pitch dark.  The distance was a little shorter than I thought.  I used the HRM for the first time in weeks; I want to see what information I can glean from that.  The first three miles were pretty much full out, without getting up on my toes.   7:08, 7:22, 6:44.  (Picked up a little downhill)  Heart rate was 170ish.  (Who really knows?  I had one reading around 195)  After that burst, I walked a bit, and finished up.  7:42, 7:20, plus the rest.  The overall pace for the run was 7:08.  Tonight I will run easy.  I need to get my son or somebody to come with me to visit with, otherwise I'll want to run harder than necessary.

Another late evening run.  The temperature was wonderful.  My daughter is in the kitchen making me orange julius.  There's got to be something entertaining on the Tivo.  Can life get any better?  I took a more hilly course than usual.  I was planning on 5, but it turned into 6.  Garmin was dead again, but mapmyrun and the clock tell me 6:50 overall pace.  That can't be right, can it?  I ran pretty strong on the hills, and didn't loaf on the downhill, so maybe?  I'm not a complete believer.  Anyhow, the run felt great.

I got up early to get this run in before work.  I hate pushes at work.  The overtime is nice, but I haven't seen my kids for 6 days.  Route was home to Farmington Pond via shoreline trail, then back via Farmington Creek Trail and Main Street.  It was cold this morning.  I saw one person on the trail, a couple tents of people freezing overnight, a red-tail hawk and two deer.  I ate a gel at mile 8.  By mile 11, I was feeling great.  Three of the last five miles were well under my goal marathon pace.  Once the gel wore off, things got very hard.  Mile 14 was 7:44, and 15 was 7:22. 

All the trail miles were much slower.  That's okay.  My heart rate was through the roof.  Some crazy lady almost ran me over by the cemetery.  She ran a stop sign, and didn't see me coming. That would have been convenient.  She rolled down her window to say sorry, at least.  I told her "Go to #$@## you old, dumb @#$%%".  Not really.  I said, "It's okay" and kept running.

Now I'm tired.  My recovery breakfast of McDonalds pancakes and sausage tasted very very good.