Home Stretch Preparations

Holy moly, I had a time pulling myself out of bed this morning! I knew I needed to get up and get on with it, though, so I didn't dilly dally as much as I wanted. Once upright, the first thought I had was, "Yesterday, this run sounded like a great idea ..." I knew I needed to stop thinking, and just do. The promise of an Everything bagel at the end of this gig didn't hurt anything, either, so up and out I went.

I'm still struggling temperature-wise. It was in the mid-40s which would normally put me in shorts and short sleeves by this point, but I think I've just been too cold for too long (not to mention, most days don't warm up very much) that I've gotten very used to dressing warmer even for the double digits. It's very weird, but it's working.

This run worked for me, too. The wind in my face for the first three and last four miles of it kind of sucked, but at least I was outside! (There was one gust that even blew me directly sideways along the 7th mile. It reminded me of how my dad used to change lanes in traffic but far less scary. He knows, it's not a secret.) The wind is my only complaint, though, so that's awesome. In fact, I felt so ready to take this on that I had to very deliberately slow myself down in the third mile. I felt myself already giving it everything I had which can lead to running out of gas, so I reminded myself this is supposed to be the beginning of the taper -- let up a little and give the muscles a refresher before taking them the distance next week. You know, the whole point of a taper. I had a hard time slowing my pace down (weird, I know!), so I chose not to. I knew I always had that option along the way, so why hold up when I don't feel like it? I mean, it's so rare and all.

The closer I got to the end, the more I insisted to myself that I keep it up just to see what happens both time-wise (not gonna lie ... I felt that good, so I actually wanted to know) and physically (just how worn out will this pace make me at this distance?).

The next thing I knew, I hit the 10th mile ... see?...

Aaaaand, there I am!

... and, I saw I beat my optimal pace by one minute. That optimal pace, though, is based on single-digit miles, not double. Double-digit miles on good days are 30 seconds more (slower) per mile. Translation: Should I have this pace next weekend, I will PR my Half by 6 minutes. That's the very best case scenario, though. My foundational goals still hold in this order:

• Finish unhurt
• Have a lot of fun
• Hover around my usual time (good indicator of systems firing, not of being a stud)
• Beat my best time if it's reasonable and fun to do

Oh, quick saucy shoe report: They're fabulous. I did start to rub a blister on a pinky toe, but I'm not surprised not only because my toes have been strangers even on the same feet in my former shoes, but this was the first long run in them. Given the way I pounded the pavement for this one, a mere blister battle wound is almost not noteworthy. Almost.

The Crew met me at the bagel place where I could change and dine! It's such a fabulous end point! Once home, I rejoiced in the fact that the rain waited until I finished running to start!

And, in other fabulousness -- It was Shirt Making Day!! Yahoo!! I'm too stoked about them to not go ahead and share 'em! These shirts have become a pretty big deal around here for all of us. I can't stress enough that this running endeavor for me is truly a team effort. I'm supported more than I would have ever thought to ask in so many ways. From being cheered at an event to bringing me clean clothes to celebrating when I find money to joining me and being a part of it all on both official and weekend runs ... how fortunate am I?! The least I could do is support the We're Getting a New T-Shirt, Right? desires!!

We have a same-day custom shirt place downtown where we've gone for all of ours. They finally made a computer file to save our shirt designs to make the, "Where's that one paw print you all have?" search go a whole lot faster! The people who work there sit and design for you; you just tell 'em what you want! The same fabulous dude who has made at least 3 of ours whipped mine out at record speed, then Aaron worked with him on the one for the Crew:

While they worked, I checked out the wall of shirts. This one made me laugh:

After a bit of a search for an off-the-beaten-path font (you'll see why), the Crew shirts were ready to print, and we had time to wander around downtown! It was already 2 p.m., so our first stop was lunch at Subway (love the stores that sell breakfast all day!! Have you had an egg white and cheese on flatbread with spinach, black olives and lots of black pepper? You really should.). We checked out a couple of stores including ...

... a bakery ...

... a cupcake shop ...

... and, a candy store!

So, there we were downtown getting shirts supporting running, and we checked out all of the sweet shops. I love me some dichotomy!!

I did get each of us a fun prize at the candy store:

Evidently, it wasn't Aaron-sized:

He said that took two bites. I think he
might need to check his math ...

Sticking with the running theme, though, I made up for finding no money on my morning run:

Thank you, people who drop money by meters and don't tend
to care! Cha-ching says the Food Bank!

Soon enough, I got the call that the shirts were ready! Here we are with the reveal:

'Better believe that run isn't just about that
day!! And, how does one get there without
such great support? I guess they could ...
I'm glad I don't have to!!

Totally proud of this being the 5th! I also
love the loud color ... good clash with the
shoes!! Bright and fabulous!

One day this week, I said, "Hey, if you all want shirts, you need
to figure out what they are going to say." Aaron immediately
blurted out the above, and it was the winner!

I simply must share ... check out the pic of the Crew when we got our first shirts!

HOW CUTE ARE THEY?!?!?!?

It's been a big day!!! It's also been a great day!!! I'm soooo looking forward to some down time tomorrow!!! Embrace the rest of your Saturday and your weekend!! I'll see you from a restful Easter Sunday!