Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

74F, S 17-29 mph.  7:38 AP.  This recovery is definitely much easier than Houston.  I might even be able to eke out a sub-19 next weekend.

58F, N 12 mph.  7:26 AP.  I finally caught my breath somewhere in mile 4 and had some quicker miles on the way back home.  Still feel a little awkward and out of shape but pretty good for 9 days post-marathon.

49F, calm, clear.  What an awesome morning.  7:02 AP - obviously way too fast for a marathon recovery week but it felt amazing and effortless, just floating along in the cool air. 

It's too bad I crumble so easily with the slightest bit of heat...where was this weather 10 days ago??  Ah well, I will enjoy it while it lasts; maybe this summer won't be as bad as last year.

*just signed up for the Houston HALF marathon, not the full this year.  8 months before the race - early registration is open for both events, for anyone interested....

52F, calm and clear again.  If only we could bottle this weather up and use it this summer.  Looks like the window will be closing soon...   8:18 AP.

61F, heavy rain.  7:26 AP.  Not so bad once I got used to the shirt-glued-to-your-torso feeling.  I wanted to spend a few minutes at 5k pace on the way home today, but after my second 1-minute repeat I was in severe, severe distress.  Severe.  So I slowed to butt-clenching speed for the last couple miles.  Butt-clenching pace is down to 7:45 or so; it used to be 8:00.  Obviously, I'm really starting to see the results of all my hard work.

61F, NE 14-18 mph.  I ran our little town's local 5K(ish) race today.  Got schooled by a couple high school kids on the xc team and ran pretty mediocre myself, but ok for 13 days post-marathon.

5:58 - tailwind

6:05

6:19 - headwind

1:22 for 0.23 miles (5:52 pace)

All in all, AP was 6:06, so more like a 19-flat on a correct-distance course.  The headwind mile killed me.  I have a long way to go before I'll get close to sub-18.  Slogging through the summer at 8-min pace isn't going to make it happen for me this year (unlike last year), I will have to spend a lot more time at 3k-5k pace this summer.  My speed/VO2 max has deteriorated to nothing!  There's a 10K pretty close by next weekend; I think I will run it too.  Gotta quit being such a speed wimp...