Got Something Right

After my gastric distress last week, I knew I needed change something. I decided to try 2 things (I know, not very scientific) different today. I mixed the Carbo-Pro mixture a little stronger and ended up with 10 oz instead of the 16 oz I drank last week. Then I took only a small sip before the run started and waited until I had run the first 6 miles before I started taking sips from the bottle. I also took smaller sips more frequently today than last week. I won't know for a few weeks if this is the complete answer but as for today's run, it was GREAT. I met up with Damon at 4:50am (that hurts just writing it). We did the prescribed stretching and set out to log 6 miles. We didn't map out a route and just started running. We kept an easy 7:50 pace and had just enough time to find the rest of the BSSW crew and head out for the group 14 miler. We started out easy enough, 7:30 pace, but after the 3 mile water stop, the "big boys" as they like to refer to themselves began seriously pushing the pace. At about mile 7 Sean and I were running a sub 7 minute pace and the lead group was quickly pulling away. Steve caught us about this time and said he was going to put a stop to the runaway train. At the next water stop we regrouped and ran the remainder of the run as a group of nearly 20. The pace was comfortably quick, the conversation fairly clean and the 40 blocks of Duval downhill! At the last water stop I decided that when the group leaders started to close the final 2 or 3 miles I was going to go with them and see if I could stick. The push started 2.5 miles out and got serious when we hit the San Jacinto hill. I was right in the middle of the pack as it began to string out and lost only 100 meters on the lead group over the last mile! I was easily clocking a 6:20 pace and felt good. I'm going to stick with the same Carbo-Pro strength for a few weeks and repeat the consumption strategy. Overall pace for the 20 today was 7:11 so the 14 mile pace works out to a 6:56!

After the run, I delivered a "First Aid" care package for Russ. Mike is going to meet up with Russ while he is in Sweden for the Stockholm Marathon. I'm excited to see how much of a lift it will be for Russ to have Mike hook up during a leg of his incredible journey.

After the post run stretching, 78 pushups and 78 crunches, I began to wonder where Ruth Anne was. She had planned to run 10 or 12 miles and I expected to see by this time. I finally aksed Carolyn if she had seen her on the course. Carolyn remembered then that Ruth Anne had told her to pass on that she was going to run the full 14! That really got me excited. Ruth Anne's comeback took a hit last week with a sinus infection and I wasn't sure if she would be able to get back to full mileage that quick. I'm getting excited about her prospects for a BQ at Portland.