Ten More Miles

Good 10-mile run! I wasn’t so sure it would be, because it seemed I had to push too hard as miles four, five, and six curled by on the rectangular track. But then it seemed to get a little easier again and I had no trouble maintaining a pace of nine minutes per mile for the rest of the way. In fact, I ramped it up just a little in the last mile without a major effort.

This run was NOT done at a race pace. Breathing was four footfalls per full breath throughout, a "cruising" pace, maybe a tempo pace, going to three footfalls only in the final two laps of the track. I took water after finishing every even mile. I walk when I drink, and this costs me about 15 seconds (four swallows - about five ounces), which accounts for the longer splits in the odd miles. No pains, not even the right hip flexors, except for a little blister on the inside of the right big toe. Oh, well. It’s still a masterpiece!

Marathon coming up in a few weeks. No way I’ll be properly prepared for it - just not enough time left. So what is a reasonable strategy for running it anyway? A few years back I ran the Kiawah Island Marathon while recovering from an injury, doing alternate miles of jogging and walking. That worked pretty well, actually, and I was able to switch to all running for most of the last six miles, finishing in 5:19. Perhaps I’ll use a similar principle this time. Half miles of each would probably be better.

Splits: 8:58, 8:44, 9:01, 8:54, 9:08, 8:52, 9:07, 8:49, 8:59, 8:33, total 1:29:03, overall pace 8:54.



Last night's dinner: No-hormone no-antibiotics beef, organic beans, organic carrots, organic strawberry.


Fog this morning, and eight degrees above zero. The fog collects as frost on the tops of our oak trees, then after the fog lifts, the frost is illuminated by the sun and eventually falls to the ground in little chunks.