Monday: 4 mile run
Tuesday: 4 mile run with Jerry, 2.5 mile run with Gina
Thursday: 4 mile run, 2 mile run with Gina
Friday: 30 minutes yoga
Saturday: 13.1 mile run
Total Running Miles: 29.6
As previously stated I didn't have huge goals for the day. I always feel better having several small goals and then letting the day unfold. It was going along pretty well for the first 6-mile loop. I followed behind a runner I named Bob in my head. He kept a nice pace going and I wanted to keep him in sight just for reference. I was running most of the miles between 8:30 and 9 minute pace. Towards the end of the first lap a woman seemingly in my age group passed me and we continued to flip-flop the rest of the day. We made very limited small talk and it made me a bit more tense than I like. I kept telling myself I was not racing her, but the more I heard those little footsteps behind me the more I wanted to get away from them. At mile 11 I was feeling pretty good and passed some geese standing along side the road. I said "honk honk" as I went by and then I guess I got a little loopy because "honk honk" turned into train sounds and I started going "Whoo Whoo" in my head and picturing myself like a train rolling along passing all the people up ahead. Whatever - it worked. Mile 12 clocked in at an 8:17. I passed Bob, but I knew the other woman was still close behind because I could still hear those feet. As we approached the final half mile I recalled something our pastor said once about his wife who is a teacher. She would look out at a classroom full of unruly students and say, "One of us is going home happy today and I'm thinking it's gonna be me!" Up ahead I saw three more female runners and I decided to try and pick them off one by one. I actually did it! I went home happy having finished in 1:54 and collecting a second place trophy for my effort.
