Seeking a better country...

6:30 a.m.   I heard a noise at 6:15.  My daughter was being hazed for a jr hi election.  Rather than go back to sleep, I found Ash (who had been up for .5 hrs) and talked her into a run.  Just as we were leaving, she informed me, "I want a donut."  Obediently, I found $1 and put it in my pocket.  

We ran to Freedom Hills on a cloudy, 50 degree morning.  Her birthday bike with gears means I can't keep up with her, instead of the other way around.  I can still take her on the hills, though.  She played at the park while I ran a couple laps, then we came home by way of Dicks Market for a large Chocolate bar.  She even shared a bite with me; although, after I took it, I did get a bit of a sideways glance.  It must have been too big of a bite.  

New shoes.  The Kinvara 3's ($55 from Amazon...so cheap, it's almost like being sponsored) feel better to me than the 2's.  I think my pair of 2's had a manufacturing defect on the left arch support.  

My son's mission call arrived yesterday.  It appears it was stuck to another piece of mail, and was lost for a while.  North Mexico City is his destination, 4 months from now.  I'm proud of that boy every day. 

6:45 p.m.  I read enough motivational blog entries and old race reports to attempt a legit workout.  Mostly I was jealous of Britta's mile repeats.  I decided to double down my time trial from 2 weeks ago and run a 10k.  'Twas a perfect day; clear and cool.

Mile 1:  stepping out the door and heading north 6:48

Creek split:  (mile 2.1ish) 7:37

5k:  20:25.  I had run the headwind, downhill section, now I had to turn around and come home.  This time seemed a little fast; crash and burn coming right up.

5.2 miles:  13:26.  2 more 6:45 miles, with climbs, but tailwind.  I may have cut the course,angling across the soccer fields at Jennie P, rather than sticking to the roads.  I wish my garmin wasn't dead so I had real splits.

6.2 miles:  40:35.  Did I cut the course?  How did I come home (uphill) faster than I ran away?  I can't believe I pulled off the negative split by 15 seconds; I must have cheated.

Or did I?  That last mile was 6:43, faster than my first.

I've been thinking about this 10k for a couple months.  Using it as a fitness gauge, I concluded I wouldn't bother with signing up for a race until I could do it in 40 minutes.  Maybe I'm not as far away from being back in the groove as I thought.  I felt all right on the run.  I was definitely blowing hard, even groaning, but I managed to get it back under control, and stayed strong without a big crash and burn. 

.5 cool down 

8 p.m.  After mowing lawns with the boys for 3 hours, I ran from home to BST, over to the Davis Creek Reservoir, then down to Main, and south on home.  I felt all right, and the sunset was a keeper.  I got off the trails just as it was getting too dark to safely navigate, so good timing.  I didn't encounter many runners.  I guess they were all on dates.

zero running, but 6 hours of mowing lawns.  I gotta make excuses for following up a 45 mile week with a measly 23.