MM needs inspiration.

So, well, yeah, I have rickky crud.. aka pneumonia... a vicious lung sickness that sucks the life from any would-be runner.
I'm not giving up hope that I can run 13.1 (as I hack yet another part of lung discharge up) in october.
It'll be a full 2 weeks of no running when I recover.. if all goes well.

So tell me there's hope that I can run, even at a 13 minute pace...or 14..

Really, if anyone can do it, I can right?!?!

Old Man Breaks Through

Yes!

On a perfect Saturday morning for a long run around White Rock Lake (60 degrees and clear skies) and after plodding along for months at a slow pace to avoid an overtraining injury after years of lethargy, this ancient runner felt so good that he reeled off mile after mile at sub-10 minute pace and averaged 9:48/mile for the entire 10-mile run.

I had planned to run about 11 minute/mile pace for the 10 miles and to start out at 12 minute pace for the first 2 miles (until I warmed up). However, at first I could not make out the mile markers in the dark and when it was light enough to see the markers and calculate my pace, I discovered that I had done the first 3 miles in about 10:30 minute/mile pace (when I felt like I might be going slower than 12 minutes/mile). I tried to coast the next 5 miles at about 10:00 to 10:15 pace, but I found it impossible to run slower than about 9:40/mile. By the time I had done 8 miles, I felt so strong that I ran the last 2 miles @ 9:05/mile pace to finish in a total time of 1:38:00.

For once I did not look like a shuffling grandpa and I passed many runners (including several younger runners)!

The funniest part of my run came with about 3-4 miles to go when I reached the Dallas Arboretum and discovered that Luke's Locker and the Arboretum were sponsoring 5K and 10K races -- with hundreds of runners clogging the path as they waited for the races to start 15 minutes after I passed. I was forced to wade through the oblivious mob for about 2 minutes (and stop my watch), mostly running on the slope of a ditch full of muddy water. Once past that clueless group, I ran as the wind.

Barring an injury or illness, I will be ready to survive the Tyler Half on October 11 -- just 19 days from now.

Who's Excited? I'm excited!

Hello fellow Team! So the official team Half is less than a month away. And I'm super excited! Although I wish I would be at the half starting line, I'll be really pumped when my team is. So update me on your weekend and your progress so I can live vicariously through you all. Feeling the burnout? Fear not! We are here to keep you motivated.

Here's a little quote I got from my tri board to remember to go out at your own pace - "Think you made the mistake of running too easy? You now have 26 miles to fix that mistake. Make the mistake of running too hard? That mistake now has 26 miles to express itself. DON'T EAT THE PASTE!" So when you start that half, think to yourself - don't eat the paste. Just cause everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you should.

This weekend I played volleyball for two hours and the rest of the weekend was OUCH! No acute injury. Just generalized pain, soreness and enough swelling to impede full range of motion. So I'm doing RICE and waiting for it to subside. But boy did I have fun! Luckily, no vb this week so I'll have some time to recover. ;) Plan on low-impact activites this week including a ride on Wednesday. The weather will be NICE - low 80s all week - so get outside and get some Vitamin D people! Wait, is it Vitamin D? I can't remember. Whatever.

This month will be the hardest so just keep your habits up and stay injury free!