T Minus 7 Days Until Gametime

I will never get used to how much running sucks while I’m doing it, but how good I feel when I’m done. I ran long today to get ready for the race next Saturday. I ran eight miles, which I hadn’t done since the 2007 River Run. I ran it comfortably for the most part, even running up and down the bridge over the railroad tracks. I kept my time under eleven minutes a mile, so I’m just about where I want to be for next week. I’m optimistic because I ran in the middle of the day, and I was still able to manage my time. I started at 10:30 a.m. and finished at about 11:55 a.m. right as the sun is really starting to heat the day. It was 68 degrees when I left and 76 degrees when I got back. I drank a whole bunch of water right before I left. For all intents and purposes, I put the cup down, grabbed my keys, turned on my watch, headed down stairs, and started running. It’s a miracle I didn’t get a cramp. The bridge over the train tracks was at about 3 ½ miles going out and 4 ½ miles coming back, tap dead center in the middle of my run twice. As I was cursing my stupid planning, I was glad that the Hart Bridge is at the very end of the River Run. It’s a bitch getting up, but once you’ve reached the top, the race is all but over. The best part of the run today was my feet. I love my Air Pegasuses. I’m seriously thinking about buying ten pairs of them, and not having to worry about running shoes for a while. If I can get some kind of bulk rate, it’s already done. My point in all of this is that I couldn’t have managed today’s run much worse, yet I still hit my goals. When I get downtown next Saturday for the River Run I’ll be pre-hydrated, well rested, and the sun won’t be at it’s apex. I’m looking forward to it.