Snowflake In My Eye

Every day I cross off a run on the Pfitz program, I say to myself: "Is this really me? Am I really running long runs in the middle of the week? Am I really maintaining my pace on these runs? Am I really doing this??"

NO, I didn't want to go outside in the damp and cold and run a ten mile general aerobic run. NO, I didn't want to run 14 miles on a Tuesday because I couldn't finish it on Sunday. And, NO, NO, NO, I do not want to run 15 miles on Saturday because it will be a sweltering 21 degrees as opposed to the predicted 14 degrees on Sunday.

But did I? Will I? YES and YES.

I set my Garmin to only show the heartrate window this morning. I didn't look at my paces, only my heartrate. I tried to keep it above 155. I think it worked out ok. I finished in 1:41:xx -- about a minute over what I projected. I took a pretty long walk break to eat a gel and drink some water, but other than that, I have no excuses. I stopped the watch at most red lights, so I don't get a pass for that. I ran my usual hilly course and I do slow on the uphills. The last mile I did ten strides.

Speaking of elevation, the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon keeps updating their website. Recently, they added the course map and elevation chart. How can I resist entering a marathon with a flat elevation like this one and only two hours from home? Can you say "PR Potential?"