"Toto, I'm melting!"

OBJECTIVE
2 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
8 mi. @ marathon pace (7:09)
2 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

ACHIEVED
2.04 mi. WU
8.00 mi.@ 7:10
2.01 mi. CD

total time = 1:34:10
total distance = 12.06

6:27 AM 80° 91% 0 (Heat Index = 86°)

I ran solo from the Y today. The intent of today's run is to start "grooving" my marathon pace into muscle memory. (Hard to believe it's only 41 days away!) I'm gauging a lot of what I'm doing now on how I was doing at the same time last year. For this run a year ago, I was looking to go 7:17 pace and ended up at 7:27. This was a good run ... for last year .... It may be a little self-defeating to be using last year as a benchmark. But I did run my best marathon off of last year's training cycle. Should I be faster than last year? On one hand, I think "Absolutely! I've got another year of training and experience under my belt." On the other, I think "I'm older. Lung capacity is probably diminishing slightly and cardiac efficiency may be declining a bit too. How can I expect to be faster this year than my PR marathon last year?"

I need to trust my training. I'm hitting most of my times and distances. When I'm missing, I'm still giving a good effort and getting in quality work. Rationally, I should be in better fitness now than last year.

It was HOT today! I knew this at the outset but focused on blocking it out. That wasn't easy to do as I watched ChampionsFit runners coming back in pretty bad shape at the end of their 4-6 milers. The temperature seemed to be all anyone on the trails and roads was talking about. Getting this in my head wasn't a good thing.

I was surprised the first couple miles how easy the pace seemed to be. The pace required effort but was manageable. I laughed out loud as I was cruising along the bayou path and out of the corner of my eye I caught the glint of a squirrel's tail at about eye level. I looked over to my right and a squirrel was running along the top of a fence at the same 7:10 pace I was going. The more I thought about this, the more impressed I became with that squirrel. I was amused that I thought I was really flying along but that squirrel, on uneven footing, was running comfortably with me .... ha!

Somewhere around 3 miles I got it in my head that I needed a drink. This was a distraction then a distress when the church I planned on stopping at was locked up this morning. It made me thirstier.

After a very solid 3 miles, I stopped for a couple minutes for an FRS lime chew. Then off again. Still thirsty; still pressing along. The pace was getting more difficult to sustain and it seemed to be getting hotter. I stopped briefly a couple miles later. Finally, I was back on the bayou trail and I knew there was a club house less than 2 miles ahead with an outside tap. I would get a drink there. My pace was starting to wash out. It felt a challenge to try to even remain at a respectable clip. Finally the club house. I doused my head and got a quick drink. ChampionsFit had left out a self-serve water stop. I helped myself. Their water was cold and refreshing compared with the club house tap. I had a little over a mile to go at marathon pace. A lady passed while I was drinking and talked about how hot it was "for this time of day." I wasn't getting any closer to finished by standing around so I pressed on. The last mile was tough. I managed to pull through.

The two-miler cool-down that followed was torturous but necessary.

I feel good about today's run given the conditions. I generally held pace even though I had a few stops along the way.

Back at the Y, I saw Susan Cline. She told me about a new trail that better avoids traffic and only cuts off 1/10 mile. I confessed that I "bandited" her water stop and "really appreciated it!"

A good run today. Eager for tomorrow's rest day! I'm also scheduled with Dr. Cadeña Monday afternoon (although my calves and Achilles weren't much problem today).

PRE RUN
weight = 161
Lime FRS powdered drink mix ~16 oz. & GrapeNuts cereal w/1% milk

POST RUN
SlimFast & water