Getting back to Boston

Ten miles before work, same route as Friday, in reverse, with a detour down Leigh to Phoenix and back up Old Greenwood hill to Cliff, then back home the same way. Pushed the pace pretty hard, averaged 8:40ish with at least one full mile at MP. Now shower, rest/nap, and work.

Planned to do 2 X 2m at HMP tonight. Nope. Not gonna happen. It was all I could do to finish one rep, and I felt like I was gonna pass out in mid-rep. So I just jogged out the rest of the workout to finish 6.25. Got over 200 for the month.

10-miler in three segments. WAR meeting was at Reynolds Cancer Support House, so I decided to run to the meeting (2.4). Then we had a group run, three laps around the Creekmore Park perimeter (2.3). Then, after the meeting, decided to take the long way home: Up Old Greenwood to Cliff, around Cliff to Valley, past Hardscrabble, down 58th and home. Totaled 10.63.

Easy run, after LooHoo gave me a virtual kick in the rear to get me out the door. Started raining the last mile. I decided to do hill sprints on Duncan anyway, and it started POURING while I was running hills. Got six sprints done anyway, then jogged home. Tentative plan is to do 18 tomorrow morning, but we'll see if the legs, the sleep pattern and the weather cooperate.

9.07 miles at 9:07 pace. How weird is that?

Probably shoulda just gone ahead and done the full 18 LR, but wasn't prepared for it (gels, more drink, etc.) So I cut it off after 9. The last 3 was dead downwind, and I could tell it (unlike Boston, where the 'downwind' was mostly illusion by the time I got downcourse). Last mile was darn near MP.

CIM is one month from tomorrow, which doesn't give me very much time to get ready (but also limits my opportunity to overtrain. Which is nice.). Let's see what I can do with these 31 days. 

Interesting long run today. Didn't go well, in that I bonked massively, but interesting. Features included:

* High five from a very cute carhop at Sonic, where I stopped to refuel at the 16-mile mark. I'd stuck a $5 bill in my pocket for just such an eventuality. It was fairly obvious I'd been running; the shorts, the bit-out-of-breath, probably the salt-streaked clothes, the headband, the water bottles. Told her I'd run 16 with about 3 to go and she gave me the high five. Then she refilled my water bottle. Didn't need it much after a giant VK and an ice cream cone, but the thought was nice. Then she wished me good luck as I resumed the run.

* Two gels stuck in other pockets and ignored/forgotten until about 14 miles, or about 5 miles after I'd intended to take the first one. Never did take the second one.

* Tried to push the first lap of two around the golf course at Ben Geren, with lackluster results. Second lap, no pushing at all, but lots of walking. I pretty much bonked at 10.5. Of course, having eaten only a bagel three hours earlier might have had something to do with that. And I've definitely decided that I can't depend on Ultima Replenisher to replenish my carbs. CIM might be a 5- or 6-gel race. Speaking of which, I need to restock on gels.

* In spite of the bonking, still wound up with a 10:14 average for 18.22. I've had much worse, trust me.

Done an ice bath, a warm shower and a glass of chocolate milk since I got home. Now to get horizontal for a while, then restock carbs with a huge spaghetti dinner. 

Tight schedule today. Have a date in Rogers at 12:30, tailgating with T and Rick B after that, then the game. I had to scramble to squeeze in a 6-miler on Phoenix before leaving for Rogers. Felt pretty strong for having done 18 yesterday, and was able to progress the pace a tad, although still on the easy side. Probably 10ish tomorrow which would give me about 66 for the week.