Ten Miles

(Addendum: Oh, oops: total time: 1:52:55 (11:17 min. mile))

I should have been home making eggnog quick bread for my hairdresser (don't ask) but I dragged —and I do mean DRAGGED—myself out of my NICE WARM HOUSE to run 10 miles in 39F (REAL FEEL 31F).

I'm trying to hit 10 miles in 1:50 so I can qualify for the National Marathon. Not that I want to run it. I just want don't want anyone telling me I'm not allowed to.

So during last week's wonderful hilly half, when I felt like I could run forever, I hit 10 miles in 1:55. Today, at three miles I was thinking that somebody moved the wall. From 22 miles to three. I really wish someone would explain to me why running is easy one day and misery the next. WHY? WHY??

Here's how I've been running my 10 miles: Drop off car at work. Pop up to the trail, run 1.5 miles out and back = 3 miles. That puts me back at work. Run two miles past work = 5 miles. Two miles back, and I'm at work again, and now at 7 miles. Run out 1.5 miles and back = 10.

See? It's brilliant. I have about four chances to quit! And I'm never farther than two miles away from work.

Today

Mile 1: 11:15
Mile 2: 10:49 (kill me, really, I can't run another foot, I hate this and I want it to stop. OK, Jeanne, if you really want to, you can stop at mile 3. Then, you can write about that on your damn blog.)
Mile 3: 11:09
Mile 4: 10:18 (whee! downhill!)
Mile 5: 10:26
Mile 6: 11:57 (and back up)
Mile 7: 12:46 (might have been a stoplight and traffic here)
Mile 8: 12:00 (or maybe it was here)
Mile 9: 10:43 (please make this end. i'm begging.)
Mile 10: 11:30

Nothing says consistency like "Jeanne"!