Seeking a better country...

BST to Freedom Hills.  I ran pretty hard the whole time.  I left a bit too late for the light remaining, and got off the trails just before visibility was very sketchy.

It's hard to comprehend these temperatures in April.  Last night it didn't even drop below 70.  Who traded April for July?

I spent the whole run thinking about transcending pain.  I don't spend enough time in pain to learn how to compartmentalize it, or embrace it and run along with it. I think good runners are able to shut it out or work with it somehow, like a woman in labor.  

At Boston, I spent a mile behind a guy with a tank that said "Trained on speed and LSD."  I'm embarrassed that it took me around 10 minutes to figure out what it meant.   I need a shirt that says "Smack me hard if I'm walking."  I looked at my garmin for the first time, and my race report isn't strictly accurate, it appears.  The lowlight includes a 9:42 mile.  I should have checked it out sooner when correlating stages and places were fresh in my mind.  A week later, the entire marathon is just a sweaty, pleasant smear in my mind.

After dropping the van off for some work, I unloaded the stroller and Jack and we went for our longest run ever.  I need to cut down the straps, because they are too loose, and the little wiggle-worm was thrashing all around, flipping over, and standing up backwards looking at me while I'm running down Legacy.  He's so cute.  Between that and him throwing toys out, we had a pretty slow go until he fell asleep 5 miles in.  But then it was time to head south into the wind with the stroller that acts like a sail.  Dinner wasn't sitting very well either, so the miles were pretty slow.  That's all right, I need to get in lots of  LSD.

I think the omnis are bothering my rt ankle.  It was stiff last night and this morning.  I wonder what has changed.  I've been running in that model shoe for 2+ years without any ill effects, but the last two times...  I don't mind getting out of that shoe, except the miles are still low.  It's a good thing I got them on clearance, or my price per mile would be unreasonably high.  I imagine they'll be fine for lawns or hiking. 

treadmill miles with Big Bang Theory.  Ha ha ha ha.

I was not primed and ready for this race.  Sleep has been horrible, allergies problematic, and a cold struck Friday afternoon.  The only thing I did properly was eat a ton on Friday.  The company provided Rumbi for lunch and my niece's 4th birthday party featured spaghetti.  

Spencer and I drove up, arriving 10 minutes before the start.  It was 30 degrees, so I had on too many clothes.  I needlessly gave away my age group placement running a slow half the week before Boston, but I wanted to see what I could make up.  My legs are still sluggish, so instead of going all out from the start, I started off easy, planning to pick things up for the last 5 or 6 miles.

Mile 1:  I ran with Amber, a blog newbie.  8:02

Mile 2-12 I ran with Spencer, and a bunch of other guys.  We had a group of 6 or 7 guys all clumped together bsing about marathons, OV50, and other race plans.  The miles ticked off pretty easy, but by mile 9 it was starting to feel like work.  Most of these miles were in the neighborhood of 7:40.

At this point, I had a 5 hour energy and started the tempo portion.  I didn't wear a garmin, but my effort was pretty steady.  I ended up finishing right at 2:19, so the pace was just under 7:00 for the last 6.7 miles.  

Like last year, this was plenty.  I was very wiped out after finishing, and couldn't even accompany Tara and Mark for a full cooldown.  Racing 30k  12 days post marathon is not something I am in shape for.  But it was a good workout.  

I did manage to climb back into third place in the age group for the series.   

Striders does a fantastic job with these races.  The courses are well supported, organized, scenic, and start on time.  The finisher prize this year was a wicking hat, besides medals for the half and series.   5 races for  $100 (if you sign up early) is tough to beat, and it's a nice way to stay motivated through the winter's dark days. 

Congrats to Ben VanBeekum and Mark P for 1st and 2nd overall, and Tara for 3rd overall in the women.