A Great Weekend, a Great Day Off (from work!)

ORN: 12.2 miles, 1:57:31, 9:34/mile pace

I didn’t run over the weekend, as Gretchen and I attended a fantastic marriage conference. Spread from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, it was a wonderful time to pull away, consider significant issues of communication, clarity and integration of values into a marriage. Well worth the time. It struck me while there that we spend time keeping our car operating well; those of us writing running blogs sure pay attention to the ups and downs of our quads, diets and training regimens; dare we take our marriages for granted? I hope not. I don’t want to see on my tombstone “He had a cool blog” but rather “He died at peace with God, his family and his community.” I recommend it highly to those of you who are married or planning to be.

Since we got home late Sunday night, I planned ahead (for once!) and scheduled a vacation day for today, Monday. And what a treat it was to not have to rush around after a weekend away. The weather turned beautiful for my long run. Sunny, with temps in the low 50s, it was a marvelous shorts/long sleeve shirt day. My intention was to hold back around a 9:45 pace, my target for the first 20 miles in St Louis. And I did feel like I was holding back the whole way. Felt good at the end, though my back was a little sore. That’s a potential concern.

So I now have less than six weeks to go until the marathon. This Saturday has 18 miles on the schedule. If successful, that will be the longest run in 25 years for me. I’m a little concerned as I move into new territory. And that’s why I’m doing this. Right?? Right.

Here are my splits from today. I can tell where I stashed my Gatorade along the route and where I ran into an old friend and talked for a bit. The numbers don’t lie…a good run on a beautiful late winter day.

9 05
9 32
9 22
9 31
9 24
9 48
9 53
9 18
10 02
9 36
9 43
9 24
2 45 (9 16 pace)

Persevere.