#361:Gotta Love Running in the Cool

61 degrees. 4.06/46:31. 11:27/mile. 12:21 PM. Arboretum Loop. Calibration run for Pegasus after nike+ fail. No breaks. Splits: 11:33, 11:13. Break to change into Adidas. No Breaks. Splits: 11:11, 10:15. Feeling fantastic for 12 miles on Saturday.

Memorial for the victims of ConAir
Flight 5181 in the UK Arboretum.

I ran in two legs today because something went screwy with my Nike+ wrist pod and I had to re-calibrate both sensors so I had to change shoes. That started out as a hassle, but turned into a fine run.

Oh, but I love running in the autumn mist. It has been cool and damp here for days. Hard to believe it was so blistering hot for last Saturday's 5K. Today, I did 4 miles in the cool at the Arboretum, and never felt so strong. It's as if all those 85 degree runs in July and August are starting to pay off.

On Saturday, I'm going to try using mileage instead of time to measure my breaks. I'll walk a minute every mile. I've started wearing my heart monitor with my sportsband, and just can't cope with the thought of running in three watches. Using distance instead of time  for breaks might be a good solution.

I have a confession to make. I chased a young girl in the park today. She passed me shortly after I changed shoes, and drifted away through the trees. I didn't think much about her since I was doing a calibration run and just trying to keep a steady pace. About 3/4 of the way through my second time around the park, I saw her pony tail bobbing up ahead. Either she was slowing down, or I was speeding up. "Great," I thought, "now I'm going to have to follow her all the way back to the parking lot." Just then, we crested a hill, and I felt my stride open up. I've talked about that feeling before, where you feel like you're barely touching the ground and your limbs seem to be liquid? We'll that's what happened. I glanced at my watch and I was running 9 :20/mile. That's very fast for me. And I wasn't slowing down. I flowed down the hill, caught her on the bridge, and pulled away up the other side of the hollow toward home. I've never felt so strong and fast, not because I out ran a co-ed, but because I went looking for something extra inside me, and it was there. What a great thing to learn about yourself. What a great run!

I got a pair of Nike+ Pegasus in the mail today from ebay. Spent about $25. They need a little glue near the toe, but otherwise look fine, a lot fresher than either pair I've been working in. I'm hoping they can get me through the race, then I can start hassling Santa for some shoes for 2011. I'll try them out on my next short run, maybe Monday's recovery jog.

One for the Five passed the $1000 mark this weekend, so I raised the goal to $2000. We're at $1200 already. Use the link to get on board. We're building a great team. Be one of us!

Peace,
Pennsy