Getting back to Boston

Forgot the Garmin today, so mileage is based on markings on the Fayetteville trails and time by the clock on my cellphone. Started out at 12:58 and decided to run 13 or so. Got to the approximate turnaround point, looked down at the cellphone and it had been one hour. So I decided to convert it into the old hour-out run, which I haven't done in a while -- run out for one hour at a decent clip, try to run back faster than I ran out. It worked, too. Got back to the car at 2:55. My guesstimate on the mileage is 13.3, but it could be a tenth or so either way. That works out roughly to 8:48 pace, not bad a day after a hard, hilly 5K.

One thing I know -- it was COLD and got colder. Current windchill as I type this is 17. That may be a little bit warm. It was cold and the wind was HOWLING. Fortunately not too much of it was dead into the wind, mostly the first two miles, when I was cold anyway because I hadn't gotten the old heat engine going yet. Mostly was a crosswind as I ran north-south on the trails.

After a night off for Domestic Turmoil, The Sequel, back on the road tonight. Decided to do speedwork the no-muss no-fuss no-thought way: Fartlek. Warmed up for a mile and a half then started doing surges intended to be about two minutes. Worked pretty well. Ended up doing six surges totaling 1.75 miles, all in the low 7 or high 6-minute ranges, somewhere around where I hope my 5K pace gets to eventually. Totalled 7-plus miles in an hour-2. Good run. Feel like I'm getting some speed back, not in time for my 4.75K on Saturday, although that could be basically considered a hilly tempo run.

About to decide to do the Bentonville Half, if I can scrounge up the entry fee in between fixing the truck. Good thing I'm getting a tax refund (and even better that that annual hassle is done, along with the FAFSA for T's financial aid). I'll decide about Hogeye probably after Bentonville. Maybe the full, maybe the half, maybe the 5K, maybe nothing.

Left on my run tonight at 10:10 P.M. after the basketball game (we won). Decided to do an easy run, which I thought it was, but darn if I didn't average 9:12. If that really becomes my easy run pace, I might just be able to do a 3:19. This reminded me of one of those old treadmill runs in NLR when I swear I was running while asleep. Not sure the eyes were open more than half the time. Also don't think I've done a run this late since I was training that summer in Tulsa after I'd get off work at 10:30 or 11. Anyway, knocked this run out OK. Trying to get to about 45 or so for the week, maybe even push 50.

Another semi-easy night at JBH. Think I slept through some of this one too, but got in 6.22, just about a 10K in 58 minutes, which is faster than I ran my first 10K rqace in October 2007 (how things have changed).

John and I talked this afternoon and one of the things we discussed was how to put the lessons of marathoning, and particularly marathon training, into use in other aspects of my life. Taking a systematic approach to those things just as I took a systematic approach to build my endurance and my speed to qualify for Boston. Makes sense. Now if I can just find a Pfitz or a Hudson to guide me through THAT...

Since I was very pointedly not invited to join Pam and Tyler for dinner tonight, I decided to put the time to use with a run. Didn't have the Garmin, but I think it was about 7.25 in about 67  minutes. Decent run and a decent, if not exhausting, pace. Almost could describe it as easy. If I put in 10 tomorrow, that will give me my first 50-mile week of the new decade.

Finally got Pam's car out of the shop today; nearly $2000. Plus paid $250 to get the old car title, since I never paid sales tax on it anywhere. Yuck. Anyway, that's out of the way. Finally. Now just have to get the Kia taken care of somehow. Guess that's where the tax refund will go.

Think Pam and I will go to the baseball game tomorrow. I think she's more open to doing things wth me at the moment, even if her overall feelings haven't changed. Oh well. Take positive signs where I can find them, no matter how small.

Amazing how warm 55 degrees feels when I've spent much of the last two months running in sub-freezing weather. Wouldn't say I was overheated, but I was sweating a bunch despite running in shorts and a tech shirt. Ran the old Shiloh loop with a tweak, diverting over to Wagon Wheel on the way back. Ran in the construction-to-be zone on WW once the sidewalk ended to stay out of traffic, which worked fine; it's graded gravel and smooth and probably actually preferable to running on the concrete, either road or sidewalk.

Run went pretty well until the last two miles, when I started to run out of gas. Tells me, as if I didn't know, that my diet has been lacking. I had thought about looping through JBH to get the run up to 15 miles, but the dead legs took that idea out of play. Just decided to get through the second loop and get into the icebath, which I did. Still wound up with a 53-mile week despite missing Monday night.

Ran instead of going to the baseball game, although I might go to tomorrow's game with T if it doesn't rain.