Morning run

Eight miles this morning. I got a very late start, thanks to the Entertainment Weekly I found on the floor next to my shoes (dont' ask how it got there...). I had to read about the top 25 high school movies and Deal or No Deal. This was just stupid, but there you go. So I didn't hit the streets until well past 7:00. But I picked a nice route out among the park, circling to another park that has a cinder trail. It was a cool morning despite me going out so late, and there was a lot of humidity in the air, which felt good right at the start, but then got to be a bit sticky later. I was really happy with the splits, though:

Mile 1 -- 10:51
Mile 2 -- 10:27
Mile 3 -- 10:33
Mile 4 -- 10:24
Mile 5 -- 10:21
Mile 6 -- 10:47
Mile 7 -- 10:43
Mile 8 -- 10:15

Average pace over 8 miles -- 10:33. My shins were barking at me a lot between miles 2 and 4, which tells me I need new shoes before next week's 18-miler. But that's about right, since these have about 300 miles on them, and I'll need to break in the next pair with at least 100 miles before the race in October.

Oh, yeah, the race. The Miracle Match Marathon on October 29. It's in Waco, so it's close enough that I can drive down the morning of and hop back in the car afterward. I don't know if I will have the kids and hub drive down or not -- depends on what else is going on that day. Then, if all goes well there, I will do White Rock again in December, for the 3rd year in a row. That's what all this is about. I have to remember that when it gets tough, and it's about to get tough. The 18-milers and 20-miler are No Fun. But crossing that line and getting that medal sure as heck makes up for it!