Getting back to Boston

Took the day off yesterday, came back tonight with 171 laps at MAFC in two hours. Nice run. Happy with it. Even happier with where my life is right now. All is good at Casa SP.

Started too late, so the last half of my 10-miler was in the dark. No lights, no reflectors, no blinkie. Dumb. Got away with it, but dumb. Run went well, though. One of those runs where you just keep chugging. Was never tempted to speed up much after doing 13 last night, so the pace stayed where it needed to be. Or almost; AHR 130. Taking GF to Fayetteville tomorrow, if her headache has subsided. She ended up leaving work early, went to the doctor and then spent some time with me. Pain eased off some, then came back with a vengeance. I ended up going over there tonight largely to comfort her.

Until run indoors at MAFC, thanks to rain. Until, in this case, being until GF called me when she got back from Little Rock with her mom. Which meant I got 7 miles done. Then we drove to Fayetteville, got her fitted for shoes at Fleet Feet (she picked the Sauconys, Asics and Mizunos being the other options), showed her my name on Senior Walk, then we came back to Fort Smith and had dinner at Taliano's. Had a really, really intense conversation. She told me some things about herself that were very, very private. They surprised me, but they didn't scare me off. 

I guess I passed the test, because a few minutes later, she told me she loved me. I really knew she did, whether she said it (or admitted it to herself) or not, but it was a thrill to hear those words again. Those words I never thought I'd hear again. She knows how I feel, too. So now everything's out in the open. Even most people at work now know about us. Most are happy; some are, it seems, a little jealous. Get over it, folks. Not going to drag me down to your level of misery.

I ran almost 4 miles up to MAFC today, meeting GF there. Ran another mile and a half without her, and 4 miles with her. Total of 9.32. Not optimal from a workout standpoint, but in spending quality time with the woman I love, perfect. She's actually in pretty good shape considering where she's coming from. Not gonna run 26.2 any time soon, but she's doing just fine, and I'm proud of what she's accomplished. Also signed her up for six months' membership to help her keep up the good work through the winter cold, spring thunderstorms and summer heat.

Ran 7.25 miles to MAFC to meet Jennifer after work, then did 4.31 miles of Gallowalking with her while I was there. Pretty much wore me out. Calves were very, very heavy by the end. Jennifer was very tired too after a stressful, emotional day, but she hung in there and got it done. I told her I was very proud of her, and I am.

Great run this morning at the WAR Room with Kathy and Mary Jo. Ran a 12-mile loop, mostly with Kathy, then after a GU and some water, headed out for another 8-mile loop. I could have kept going even farther, felt pretty good, but I figured 20 miles was enough. As usual lately, I spent a lot of time thinking about Jennifer, and I found that kept me going. Legs felt heavy and all that stuff, but I was able to maintain pace and even pick it up some in the last few miles. I ran the last three miles at about 9:10 pace after various speeds higher in the 9 range. Finished the 20 in 3:11.56, which I would be happy with for the last 20 before a marathon, never mind just a routine run in January.

 So this puts me at almost 71 miles for the week -- and I skipped Sunday. Nine-plus tomorrow would put me at 80 for the Monday-Sunday period. Not a bad week. I think Jen has provided more than a little inspiration. 

Then, on top of that, I went with Jen on her four-miler this evening. No running, just brisk walking, but still a four-mile workout that took more than an hour. So I'm logging that too.