21 Miles at 7:34/mile on a beautiful, yet windy, afternoon on Hwy. 171 between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas (near my parents home). Lacking motivation and energy after a tough Saturday battling a pretty ugly cough, I stubbornly decided to hit the road around noon to knock out another 20-miler. It wasn't pretty, and after 10 Miles at a 7:00min clip, the Lake Catherine State Park hills and my chest cold knocked me back to reality. Miles 6 through 16, which included two loops through the State Park, were brutal, and I had nothing left for the final 5-mile stretch. No doubt, the hill work should pay dividends (or at least, that's today's rationalization), but I was a little disappointed in the effort all the same. My focus this week will be (1) getting well, (2) regaining confidence, and (3) studying the L.R. Marathon race course to develop a race strategy. I've run the course, but not in a manner even remotely similar to my plans for March 6. Wesley
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