Running, playing and thinking.

After my last post detailing my long run and 3x1 mile repeats at tempo pace I closed out my week of running with a 6 miler in 48:46; an 8 miler in 1:04:06, where I ran splits of 8:03, 8:03, 8:10, 8:06, 7:59, 7:58, 7:52, and 7:54. This run was fun because I had just downloaded Radiohead's latest offering, "In Rainbows", onto my iPod. It is freaking awesome. A great moment during my run was during mile three when "Bodysnatchers" started playing.

Sunday afternoon I ran an easy four in 32:19 in preparation for Monday's intended 3x1200 at 4:29 each. I warmed up with two miles in 16:07 and hit rep #1 in 4:28.19 and after an 800 in 4:40 I ran rep #2 in 4:27.45. I jogged a 400 in 2:52 and decided that I'd had enough of this particular practice and jogged a little over a mile back home.

Yesterday I ran 5.25 miles in 42:37 and felt pretty good.

Today's run was a three mile tempo run at 6:32 pace. The last time I attempted this particular practice, three weeks ago, it was 75, calm with 34% humidity. The practice turned into a death march that I covered in 19:46.83 with splits of 6:29, 6:37 and 6:40.

The conditions today were a little more mild at 55, NE13 and 46% humidity. I ran two miles in 15:46 to warm-up, mile two had some 40-step pick-ups mixed in, and after that I switched into my race flats.

I took off pretty easy and visualized myself starting the Jingle Bell Run in a nice relaxed pace. I kept my breathing easy and hit the 800 in about 3:18. I didn't consciously make myself speed up but I hit the mile mark in 6:26.84. I cussed in my head, did a self-assessment and decided that I still felt okay and I was going to go with how I felt. I kept my turnover nice and fluid and my breathing unlabored and threw a few surges down as I turned corners until I hit the two mile mark in 12:54.80 with a mile time of 6:27.96.

I started feeling like I was working just a bit when I emerged from the cover of the trees and felt that nice 13 mph wind hit me in the face with about 1200 to go. The wind would be in my face or slightly oblique to my face until I finished and I also had a bit of a rolling hill to contend with from about the 700 mark until the 500 mark. I felt myself slowing in the face of the wind and the hill but I was still able to hit my last mile in 6:31.32 for a total time of 19:26.12.

After a 45 second breather I ran a cool down mile in 8:17, stretched out and ate dinner with my family. Salmon, salad and rolls.

My wife and I ended up not going to North Carolina this weekend for her friend's wedding due to some family problems but we were able to have a good time playing with our son and hanging out together. Kim went grocery shopping Sunday afternoon and left me at home with a restless and bored 15 month old little boy. I put a long sleeve shirt on the little man and we drove out to the covered bridge south of Chatham. I led him to the trail that went to the bridge and let him loose. He promptly took off on his little legs and only stopped long enough to pick up a pebble and a small stick each of which were handed to me with a "tahnk oo" (thank you) from him. He continued his journey by going up, over and down the bridge and continued a few hundred meters down the trail under his own power until I picked him up and carried him a little closer to the bridge and a little farther from the bank of the creek.

By the end of our jaunt we had: thrown walnuts down the trail, dug in the dirt, given him names to everything he pointed at, and acquired a pebble, a stick, half a walnut shell and an acorn. We also saw two deer carcasses in the underbrush and took half a dozen pictures that I will try to post on here soon. I didn't take pictures of the deer carcasses if anyone was wondering.

I like being a father. I hope I end up being a good one.