[PacerChris]

Morning! Last day of work till Jan 2 - hip, hip, frigging HOORAY! There is NO ONE here and I expect to see no one here at all. I'm taking a short day as well so I can start getting some gear ready for the run tomorrow. I'm actually not feeling all that great - been fighting off a mini-cold the last few days and had a bad night of sleep (stayed up late to get the Steelers' result since I couldn't watch the game - damn NFL Network! - then my daughter's haunted CD player went off at 2am and I had to go downstairs to turn that off while being convinced a burglar set it off as a distraction, and then PacerWife got up for her Boot Camp class at 4:45am!). I'm going to do an easy run at lunch today to loosen up - maybe 4-5 miles max, very sleazy.<br><br>
Good to hear of everyone's progress - Maples and Scratch plus everyone else.

 

[PacerChris]

Baggs - so don't keep us guessing, what is the mileage milestone? 3500? My run tomorrow will put me at my annual mileage goal of 5000km<br><br>
PTom - Until you run a 100 miler, this may be the only time you are so excited to run a 9:30/mile pace. How's the leg today after yesterday's test?

 

[PacerChris]

I'm dropping a bag with water/Gatorade, maybe some snacks at the halfway point of the marathon route (so I will hit that twice). We'll run right by our cars at mile 21 & 31. Plus there will be some gas stations along the way in case we need something, plus I'll probably run with a water belt. Last year I packed way too much food in my car so this year I'll keep it simpler - bananas, PB&J sammiches, Clif bars, some hot soup, pretzels, and water/Gatorade. Last year I had a whole freaking buffet going on in my car and hardly touched any of it!<br><br>
Bill (the one that's running the whole way) and I started talking about the Steelers and what races we were going to do next year and other stuff like that and I said "Hang on! We need to shut up so we have plenty to talk about during the run...otherwise we'll get sick of one another!"

 

[PacerChris]

PTom - what's your goal race for spring? Broad Street again? I haven't read it in great detail but RW had an article on some ideas on how to improve specific parts of your running (for me - speed). You might want to look at that for some ideas on training tips.<br><br>
I'm going a little nuts with no real plan for the spring yet. That's usually what I try to work on over the Christmas holiday. I'm hoping my wife agrees that Boston is OK to do this year (we got a call from the B&B saying they moved us to a better location - I thought she had already cancelled it so maybe there's hope?)<br><br>
I've got to stop eating the dark chocolate peanut M&M's. I bought them to make trail mix because my MiL always steals mine so I was going to make several batches. Since I haven't gotten around to it yet, I find myself munching on the M&M's all day long!!

 

[PacerChris]

My wife and I do this if we have a long road trip coming up...of course, we sometimes don't talk for days anyway (or perhaps it's just that I'm not listening too closely?!)

 

[PacerChris]

Good idea - my goal time is officially 1:17 (but I'm not saying if that's a half marathon, a 10 miler, a 15k, or what! I'll let you know after the fact!)

 

[PacerChris]

Ran a sleazy 5 @ lunch today, just loosening everything up for tomorrow. I took yday off and felt like crap this morning but all systems are go now after my lunch run.<br><br>
Pace for tomorrow will be very comfortable - last year I did 50 miles and averaged ~8:30 pace but with breaks my total average was around 9:15. Tomorrow I plan to run between 8 and 8:30 when I'm running and take walk breaks every now and then. I'm starting at the Finish Swine and running it in reverse and then turning around (a la Forrest Gump when he hits the oceans) when I reach the Start Line. The start and finish line of the Pig are about a mile apart so this way I can have less distance to walk after I'm done running AND run by the car twice for supplies. I'm crazy, but not stupid!<br><br>
Nice to see <b>Keriksen's</b> diet is roughly the same as what I plan to eat tomorrow!

 

[PacerChris]

I've run in racing flats and there is a feeling of lightness, quickness, etc you get from them. I don't like the really lightweight ones with minimal cushioning - the 6-7 ounces and below are just too painful for me. But I really like the lightweight trainers some shoe companies have - the Asics Speedstar is light enough to feel a difference versus my regular training shoes, but beefy enough to provide cushioning even up to a marathon distance.<br><br>
Comfort to me is more important - if I really wanted to save time by not carrying a few extra ounces, I would eat healthier (like <b>Keriksen</b> does!) and try to drop a pound or two.

 

[PacerChris]

<b>Zatopekian</b> I'm making this one part of my everyday vocabulary:<br><br>
Was that a hard workout, Chris?<br>
Yes - in fact, it was Zatopekian in nature.<br><br>
Love it. That's the kind of word my wife simply will never understand.<br><br><b>JenRuns</b> I try to avoid dumping water over my head in a marathon because I hate running in squishy shoes (not to mention the blister potential!). If it's really hot and they don't hand out sponges or cloths, I'll put some water in my hat and let it trickle down, or splash handfuls of water in my face to cool off. I try to avoid doing any of that until late in the race so if my shoes do get soaked, I'm nearly done.

 

[PacerChris]

The exact opposite is true of me.<br><br>
Did anyone else read between the lines of PTom's quote and realize he's calling me fat? Weight wise I can't handle a flat?! WTF?!<img alt="thefinger.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/thefinger.gif">

 

[PacerChris]

Asics are great - I loved the Landreth but the Speedstar is a little lighter and more flexible. Both good shoes. I do like to have dedicated shoes for racing and fast workouts...might be mostly mental, but wearing the lighter weight shoes is almost a signal but it gets me more focused on hitting my paces.<br><br>
I think I got all my crap packed and ready to go for tomorrow (almost - still have to cook up some instant soup for sodium!) Last check was perfect for the weather - start off in the 40's around 5:30am and will warm up to low 50's. This should be a piece of cake, right?!<br><br>
I'll check you cats later - have a good night!