I Accept the Challenge...

To preface this post, let me apologize to AJMac and others. I have been a little behind in my writing. I am sorry.

Last year, when I challenged AJMac to run the 18:59 5K, I thought that I could hit the mark by being timed at exactly 18:59. I did the math last February and realized that I would need to run 6:10 for the first two miles and then run faster for the last mile and 1/10. I had no idea that I would best my previous PR by 55 seconds, running 6:00 miles, while winning a race, winning my age bracket in another race, coming in second and coming in third in my age bracket in other races. I also had no idea that the hills I ran on for training would propel me to a PR in the half-marathon by a gargantuan 4 minutes, by running 6:59 miles, while besting a personal course record in a relay by 5 minutes. And then, to add to the joy, AJMac sets a PR, wins his age bracket in a duathlon, and not only breaks 19:00, but matches my 18:37. In the end, it turns out that competition really is good - what a year!

So, with that, how can I not accept the challenge to break 40 minutes in the 10K. I say to AJMac, "I accept your challenge, and will see you at 39:59"!

Naturally, since we closed out 2008 and came into the winter of 2009, I went into hibernation. I put on nine pounds in January - something to do with the dreaded "triple c's" - cookies, cakes and canolis. In case you don't know me, I love cookies and I LOVE canolis. Depending on the cake, it can be just the gravy on top (speaking of gravy, I am sure a had plenty of that, too). Suffice it to say, I was eating, busy at work, and spending my running mornings shoveling/snow blowing snow. Just recently, I have been able to get serious about running, again. I am trying to drop the lbs. and get the legs back. One good sign is that I ran a 5:11 mile on the treadmill a couple of weeks ago.

This year will be very busy. I should be able to keep in good shape; however, I need to be very selective about my races. I am going to run a charitable 5 mile race on April 18 to gauge my fitness, endurance and speed. That is the ultimate test with the 10K; it is the distance that combines endurance and speed. And that makes about as much sense as mixing pine nuts with basil, but if done correctly, you get a great pesto. If done incorrectly, you walk away from the romantic dinner with chewed, leafy greens stuck between your teeth and your blonde bombshell date thinking you are an idiot who keeps forgetting to put floss on your shopping list.

Well, it's time to hit the hills again (and I don't mean the teenie-bop TV show). Intervals will be a weekly regular and I am about to become all too familiar with the weekend long-run, again. AJMac has a head start, but we are in it together. And let's take comfort in the fact that competition breeds good results. So, as AJMac put it at the beginning of our climb to 18:59 back in February 2008, the last to 39:59 is a rotten egg.

A win is a win

This morning I did something I have not done since junior high school: I won a race. Actually, I won two races. I ran one of those 5k/10k races where the 10k runners do two laps of the same course. I finished my first lap over a minute before the first 5k finisher, then ran another.

I had no one with whom to pace from mile 2 on, and by the second time around the course the next closest runner was 1/4 mile behind, so my pace was all over the map and not nearly fast enough. I ran my first two miles in 13:30, then passed the same spot three miles later in 34:37. Finished in 41:52. Not great, but also not terrible for racing by myself.

A reporter from the local paper interviewed and photographed me. Not many newsworthy events in this little city, as you can tell. I'll have a fun clipping to hang on the refridgerator for motivation.