6 Miles

I finally ran 6 miles today. Nothing like scraping in under the wire, since the 10K is next week. Here's a few bullet points on that run...

• The first mile was slow for me (10:30ish), and the rest of the miles ranged from a 9:15 - 9:55. I know for certain that I could not have run any faster than I ran.
• The weather was PERFECT today, maybe a touch on the warm side, but we would all be lucky if there was a break in tradition and we were able to enjoy THIS weather next weekend. Typically it rains on Monument 10K Race Day.
• DeNiece & Melis lapped me. Yes, they started at the same time & place as me, finished at the same time & place as me - only they did 8 miles in the time it took me to do 6. They're going to crush this race.
• I was really enjoying my run, even when I almost ran into a parked car trying to avoid a moving car. Thank You random runner guy who grabbed my arm from behind and steadied me so I didn't wipe out.
• Speaking of - I saw a woman take a bad spill, and I'm proud to say that I stopped to ask if she was OK before I went on. She was fine, embarrassed, but fine.
• There were about 200 runners out on the road today, the last training long run before the race. So cool.
• At mile 5.5 I planned to run 6.2 (which is how far the run would have been if I'd just run all the way to my car), but at mile 5.8 or so my legs felt "weak" and "unstable", so I decided that was a sign that I should walk at 6.
• Finally - on todays run I really pushed my limits. And because of this, I know, without doubt, that I cannot even touch my 10K PR. To be blunt, I will miss it by about 6.2 minutes. I'm going to just have to keep that in the forefront of my mind, and run easy, no matter what temptations come my way. This 10K will have to be about the experience, and not the PR. The PR will hold, and I'll get it eventually.

B is sick, so I did not sleep well last night, though I believe that I would have made it through the night without waking. Instead I did what all mothers do, which is listen to every noise, wondering if that's the 3 year old calling for me.