Fall…and Back to School Time

Well, September, in just a few weeks in fact, we’ll be officially in “fall” again. I know people that love the fall, I’m one of the weird ones that don’t. And honestly, I don’t consider myself a pessimist (maybe a cynic at times, but never a pessimist). I usually can see the glass as half full, or at least more often half full than half empty, but with the fall, yes, it gets pretty, the leaves look great, and the break in humidity is great for running, but it’s not like spring, we don’t have the humidity then either, and the days get warmer and you look forward to 50 degrees and running in shorts, but after you get used to summer and running in shorts in 90 degrees, running in shorts in 50 again feels cold. One morning this week I saw my breath in the air leaving for work, and the two mornings I have run, I went in shorts, but chose long sleeves for the top…and it will just get cooler…and then of course the dark…in the spring the days are getting longer, in the fall they are getting shorter. I guess what this all comes down to, and what makes it hard for me is that I live in Minnesota, of course, and here the fall is very short, and it leads into winter, and winter is very long, cold and dark, none of which I like. So while yes, the weather is great for running, the leaves are pretty, it’s leading to something very soon that I don’t like and it’s hard to enjoy the month or so of fall that we get because of that. That makes sense doesn’t it?

For this week I got a happy surprise on Tuesday. A friend of mine happens to mention recently about being on the Nike campus once…when I ask how, she mentions that’s where her friend that lives in OR works. Umm…does she get DISCOUNTS? I asked…and I wasn’t even thinking of my shoes because you know, I get an OK deal on them most times, but the Nike Tempo Track short. They are my favorite. I have 8 pairs and I still want more because they are comfy and they have so many fun colors. Well, turns out she can get the normally $28 shorts for $16…I said yes, get me some. I said around $100, basically about 5 pair, and I happily went through the 22 colors on Nike’s site, got it down to around 10 that I really wanted and put them in order saying any 5…I got the package and wore a new pair on Tuesday with my group run, we did fartleks, and let me say, that was tough after that race on Sunday!! I got home and was going to put the new ones away and counted and found 5 in the bag…but I had worn one of the new ones that night too…when I looked through them, one pair had been marked clearance there for $9, so my guess is since they were so cheap, and actually the others were cheaper than the $16 she had thought they were, she just got an extra pair. Shipped they still were only $100…so 6 new pair of Nike Tempo Track shorts, shipped to me (well my friend, but easy enough to pick up from her) for $100…what a great day!!

Oh yeah, and on the other part of my post…school is in session full swing now. I have two classes and have now been to both of them. So far so good…we’ll see how it goes!! So far I really like both profs though, so that’s a good thing.

And I’m winding up the week…this will be my last high mileage week before taper. My plan has me doing about 65 miles, which will be my highest mileage week ever. If I get my run in tonight, the distance that I have planned, there is no doubt I’ll end up in that range…the last 20 miler is on Saturday morning, the back half of the marathon course (out 10 miles the wrong way and then back 10 miles over the hilliest part of it) and I won’t miss that run. Other than that it will probably be a weekend of homework…what more can you do after a 20-22 mile run anyway??

Guess before I post this I can post my pathetic interval day...I won't make excuses for it, it just wasn't in me today. But if I were going to make them, I suppose the race on Sunday, the fartleks on Tuesday, running this morning and the downpour that started halfway into my first mile repeat all could've played a factor (the ran let up after about my 2nd or 3rd one, but by then I was drenched and miserable).

Mile 1 - 7:22 (did lose signal so think this one was long this time)
Mile 2 - 8:06 (really bad signal and felt horrible)
Mile 3 - 6:39
Mile 4 - 7:10
Mile 5 - 6:58
Mile 6 - 6:45

The last 4 were better, but two of them, mile 4 and mile 6 were down a really nice hill...so that's why 6 was as good as it was. I did manage a total of 12 miles even with the rain, but might have killed my MP3...ah well.