Sept. 12
Well, I did what I'd been dreading for several weeks now. I emailed my friend Barry in Minneapolis and told him I wouldn't be going out there to run Twin Cities. I'm just not ready to race, and its really not a good time right now to take a road trip.
Can't help thinking today has an ominous feel to it, and figured out that this is the same weather I remember from Sept 11 ('01). It was a gorgeous, perfect, cool sunny morning and I was in Springfield Illinois, just finished a run of about 5 miles out in the woods and came back to the hotel and saw the Towers burning on tv.
For once I did it right this morning. Got up at 5:15 to get out the door at 5:35 so I can run long and still be back by 7:30 to see Maricela off to school (yes, at last it has started). Did a Bloody Nipple loop to see what kind of shape I'm in. Reluctantly I set 6 minutes as the target pace for my 4 tempo miles on MLK. I reflected sadly how last year this, and a little faster, was marathon pace. Running out there I felt like I just didn't have it this morning. This usually has little bearing on how good I actually run, but it was all I could do to get the first tempo mile in at 6:21. Ugh. I made tentative plans to bail at Strawberry Mansion Bridge and settle for a shorter loop. But mile 2 came in at 6:06, and there was hope. Mile 3 was in 5:59 as I sped past SMB, I could no longer cut this one short. And mile 4, including the steepest hill on the PDR course, went down in 5:51. Damn. The overall pace was still in the sixes, but salvaging the last three miles was more than enough consolation.
I went on to chug the second part of my tempo run, up Bloody Nipple hill around Ford Rd. and out to Belmont Plateau in 17:55 (9:33 for the BN checkpoint). A far cry from my best, but I showed some heart on the MLK part, and I'll take it.
And I got back right at 7:30 when Maricela was headed out the door. Busted her for not eating breakfast and we got to chat for a few minutes in the kitchen.
Total was 13.5 miles in 104-something.
Can't help thinking today has an ominous feel to it, and figured out that this is the same weather I remember from Sept 11 ('01). It was a gorgeous, perfect, cool sunny morning and I was in Springfield Illinois, just finished a run of about 5 miles out in the woods and came back to the hotel and saw the Towers burning on tv.
For once I did it right this morning. Got up at 5:15 to get out the door at 5:35 so I can run long and still be back by 7:30 to see Maricela off to school (yes, at last it has started). Did a Bloody Nipple loop to see what kind of shape I'm in. Reluctantly I set 6 minutes as the target pace for my 4 tempo miles on MLK. I reflected sadly how last year this, and a little faster, was marathon pace. Running out there I felt like I just didn't have it this morning. This usually has little bearing on how good I actually run, but it was all I could do to get the first tempo mile in at 6:21. Ugh. I made tentative plans to bail at Strawberry Mansion Bridge and settle for a shorter loop. But mile 2 came in at 6:06, and there was hope. Mile 3 was in 5:59 as I sped past SMB, I could no longer cut this one short. And mile 4, including the steepest hill on the PDR course, went down in 5:51. Damn. The overall pace was still in the sixes, but salvaging the last three miles was more than enough consolation.
I went on to chug the second part of my tempo run, up Bloody Nipple hill around Ford Rd. and out to Belmont Plateau in 17:55 (9:33 for the BN checkpoint). A far cry from my best, but I showed some heart on the MLK part, and I'll take it.
And I got back right at 7:30 when Maricela was headed out the door. Busted her for not eating breakfast and we got to chat for a few minutes in the kitchen.
Total was 13.5 miles in 104-something.
posted by seebo | 12:43 PM
2 Comments:
Seebo,
God how I miss the those hills out by the Drive and Strawberry Mansion (it's where I gre up).
Anyhow, I've got a question for you. A lot of things I've read about tempo runs encourages them to be done on flat terrain to stay in the "proper" training zone and not go too "anaerobic". Thing is, I tend to run off power and love those hills. You ever have a problem w/ doing the tempo work on the hills, or does it better suit you?
But we make such a good team! Seebo, sorry to hear you won't make it out for Twin Cities, but better to recognize the ducks aren't in a row now instead of while you're on the starting line. I'll be thinking of you.
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