Saturday, March 22, 2008

12 Miles today . . .

Sheep and cattle at a distance. Lots of rolling pasture land and panoramic views of the mountains.

As has become the pattern over the last few weeks, Butch (my neighbor and a 37-time marathoner) plans the route during the week before the long runs. We head out with him calling out left or right. And then somewhere between the 7- and 8- mile mark, he'll say something to the effect, "It's almost time for you to take off. You're going to . . .," and he'll describe the rest of the route. And then he slacks off a bit, and I speed up.

Except to yank off my shirt when I got hot, I ran the whole way and was sad when the run was over. 12 miles in 2:04:30, or about 10:20 pace. Now I know I can do 13. . .barring injury or illness.

Next week is a recovery week -- fewer miles, easier pace, and two 5k (3 mile) races (one on Saturday and one on Sunday).

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