Rainy Mother's Day

I hoped to get up early and do my 9 mile run before all the neighbors started mowing their lawns, etc, but it was 47 degrees (feelt like 44) and raining when I got up.

The rain left town a little early, so I was on the road by 2:00 for my 9 mile run. I lived through it, and managed to cut 2:18 off of my time from the same run last Sunday. However, I did try something different. Last Sunday I ran the entire time, and this week I decided to simulate what it would be like if I ran just a little faster between the water stations along the marathon route and then walked for 1 minute at each water station (6 breaks today should be close to the 9 breaks I will have for the half marathon). I also took 14 oz of Gatorade Endurance on my Fuel Belt today, which I didn't have last Sunday, and took a drink at each walk break.

I only had one really bad mile, and that was the 5th mile (11:39). My left knee was nearly perfect today, but my right knee took over where that one left off, and the pain during the 5th mile was excruciating. I had thoughts of calling it a day, but pressed on, remembering that I lived through the same pain last weekend in the other knee and was able to finish without stopping. After about a mile of pain I was feeling much better and the pain was reduced to annoying, which I could live with. My fastest mile of the last 7 miles was actually mile 6, so once the knee pain subsides I'm pretty much good to go.

I'm still slow, but my only goals are to start and finish the half marathon on the 27th, so I really don't care.

Next week my schedule calls for 2, 7, 2 and 10. I'm so close I can taste it!