Those were days

Well what’s this? A web log, or as the kids call it these days, a b’log? Why yes, yes it is. Keeping the knob on life support, hanging on by a thread. It’s been a couple months since I last posted some gibberish about cat pictures, so how about a return to the days of yore and running lore? These are days it is not, but it suffices.

I’ve run one race, a 5K a couple weeks ago, since the San Antonio Marathon in November. Finished third in a PR of 17:09. An ok run, but not a great race. I wasn’t really competitive mentally, either preparing for it or racing it. Wanted to hang around and do my best, but I never thought I had a shot, and got outkicked by 10 seconds in the last 400 meters. Afterward I paced a friend the last eight miles of the marathon. Highly recommended, pacing. All the glory, none of the pain.

I still want to break seventeen in a 5K, but it’s not a huge priority (and those next 10 seconds are daunting, much like a donut). In fact, motivation for anything less than a marathon is hard to come by. I don’t run much in the morning anymore (ok, a couple of doubles here and there). Mostly lunchtime and afternoon runs. I hardly make it to any Gazelle workouts and do most of training solo based on a book. That will have to change as I’m coaching little league and flag football this spring and the better half wants to train for a tri.

Average weekly mileage so far this year around 50 I guess, high of 70ish. Most memorable workout this period was a 17 miler ending with 3x2mile on the track just under HM pace. For whatever reason, my easy runs are quite a bit faster than pre-SA, though my workouts aren’t necessarily faster. I think I’m still running off fitness built during the “great marathon build-up of ’09”. Suppose I’ll cannibalize that for as long as possible, in some sort of Ritzenheinian strategy to race faster shorter races after extended marathon training.

I’m racing the Cowtown Half-Marathon on Saturday.