I was able to do my ten miler after all! My friend and I did a loop course that left from her house. Just that loop would have been about eight miles total. I thought we ought to see how we felt when we got to her house as far as whether we should run more or not, as I am getting over my cold, and travel has been interfering with her running lately. But then she had the brilliant idea to add on an extra loop of about a mile and a half when we were about 2 miles from her house because it’s just too easy to decide you’re done running once you are back at your house/car.I felt surprisingly good throughout the run. I debated bringing a handkerchief (yes I know I am the only person under 80 to use one, it’s just what I do). I brought one on my run yesterday and it only served to annoy me because I had to hold it but I never used it. Today I didn’t want to be in the position again, so I took a risk and left it behind. This was a big risk, because I was wearing neither long sleeves nor gloves, which typically handle snots quite well. It turned out I never needed a hanky.

A 9:30/mile average pace felt very easy, and easy was what I was going for. I was just grateful to be out there at all instead of laid up in bed. I wonder if part of the reason the run went so well, compared to last week’s long run, was the rest I’ve been getting lately. Despite being sick, just about every night this week (except Friday, when she was up in the middle of the night with a pitiful baby version of my illness, coughing and sneezing), Sweet Pea has slept the whole night, which is pretty awesome. Of course there have been a few times she woke up around 4:30, cried for a bit, and then realized no one is coming and settled back down, but by and large, she has been going down around 6:30 or 7pm and getting up by 6am. I cannot complain.

I got home and headed to work, where I was needed for half a day. That was nice because I wasn’t able to work at all yesterday.

This week will be my last hard week of running before I start to taper for the race. I’m sooo glad I’m not sick anymore. I have yet to plot out each workout, but I think I will hit 40 miles this week, including a hard workout I’ve done before that will give me a good indication of my fitness and whether I’m really ready to run how I want to in Santa Barbara- It’s 3×3- three miles at tempo pace, three times, with a mile of easy jogging in between intervals. As always, I will let you know how it goes.