And Speaking of Dreams ...

(I dreamt last night that I weighed 127 lbs. Not 126. Not 128. 127. Which of course I would kill for. What is it with the odd numbers? But I digress...)

The Little Dictator, though in the midst of taper madness, continues to take time out of her busy schedule to scare the crap outta coach, train, and encourage me. I'm telling you, without her, I would curl up on the couch and never run again. She has so much faith in me ... more than I do ... and apparently, she honestly likes this coaching thing. So, just to be nice, I let her practice on me.

Here are some excerpts from a fun little e-mail she sent just today, giving me advice on how to run my 10K-turned 8K on this coming Sunday morning (I've noted my comments in red, just so you can distinguish between the two of us, you know, to avoid any confusion):

Miles 1-2.5: Start at a pace, say 10:45-11:00/mile or so, (See, that's already hilarious! Such a kidder!) that you can sustain for the WHOLE race.

Miles 2.5-4.0: From here on out, you're going to get faster, not slower. (This is where the dreaming really starts.) Don't just maintain your pace, as others will start to slow, giving you the illusion of speeding up. Quicken your pace to around 10:30 (OK Bex, I gotta tell ya: you're FREAKIN' me out!!) (or even a bit faster IF you can hold good running form) . Breathe evenly, one breath in for every two strides, one breath out for the next two strides. Repeat ad infinitum. (Well, she got that infinitum part right.)

Mile 4-5: Tighten your focus and speed up even more - say 85-90 percent of your capacity - probably about 10:15-10:20/mile. (La la la la, sorry, I can't hear you!!) Listen to your body for any abnormal aches, but remember that when racing, you will feel some discomfort/pain. (See, right here is the problem. I really dislike pain. And discomfort. Really. Dislike. There must be some way around the pain/discomfort thing.) Try to run in a controlled but relaxed manner. Think, "As the race gets longer, I get calmer." Remember to breathe and keep your head up and focused on the middle distance. Hold back just enough energy to sprint the last 500 feet.(It's possible I can do this part, because I will have been running so slowly for the whole race.)

All kidding aside, can you believe my luck in having the Little Dictator as my personal coach?? This is excellent, just excellent! Bex, you're the greatest. (Thank God she'll be away this weekend so she won't be too crushed by my 11:30 min/mile pace. If I make it that fast.)

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In other news, does everyone know that Naomi of 26.2 Miles vs. Naomi fame has flown the coop, vamoosed, high-tailed it outta here? And is now in Senegal? Dakar, to be exact? Yep. And she's updated her blog several times. She has some amazing stories to tell, and a Naomi-style (per usual) take on the people and the place. You should really stop reading this drivel right now and go read her instead.*

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*This has been a paid public service announcement brought to you by the Committee to Repel and Attract People .