Start time: 6/28/03, 6:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Activity: Running
Distance: 6 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 3:1
Average pace: 14:00min/mile

Not too terribly much to report this week! The rain momentarily let up this week, and after some hot days earlier in the week the temperature dropped just in time for this Saturday’s run. It’s just a six mile run this week, to let people recover from last week’s 12-miler and not injure themselves.

Of course, sometimes fate has other ideas. We were about three-quarters of the way through when John tripped on a bridge (the boards bounce up a little bit when we run over them, and his toe caught the board on an upwards bounce) and went flying. The poor guy landed right on one of his knees, and he ended up having to walk the last mile and a half back in. We’d all been thinking about what a great run this week was, and how well everyone was doing, so that will teach us to all get a little too secure!

Still, otherwise, a nice jaunt out and back, and perfectly on pace. (And as an added bonus, a pace group below us that’s been running too fast and passing us these last two weeks got lectured by the coach about going the correct pace. Not that it will stop them, I’m sure, but I’m glad they were told. It can be discouraging when a group that’s supposed to be slower keeps passing you!)

Start time: 5/24/03, 8:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Activity: Running
Distance: 6 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 3:1
Average pace: 14:00min/mile

Well, it’s only been a week and it’s still hard to believe I’m doing this again! Big thanks to my first donors for this year, Esther Friesner and Julie Babyak, both who sent donations in before I’d even gotten my butt in gear to start soliciting any! Wow!

I was feeling a little sore after last week’s run (a lethargic winter will do that to you) so I took it easy this week; the near-continual rain and gloom may have had something to do with that as well. Before I knew it, though, it was already Saturday morning and time to head back onto the running trail!

Our group was pretty large this early on in the game, so the staff asked us to at least temporarily split into two groups. Madelyn took one group, while I ended up taking the other. It felt like old times to have a nice small group again, although I suspect we won’t stay split for too long. People always drop out of the program, or shift to different pace groups early on. For now, though, this split should work pretty well.

Our last 8am start time until October (yikes) greeted us with cool temperatures and cloudy weather; it kept threatening to rain, but never actually did so. Probably because I brought a hat. Our group did pretty well with staying on pace, something that’s often tough to do this early on! It seems like a really nice group of people.

And now, I’m off to Western Pennsylvania to visit relatives over Memorial Day weekend. I hope everyone else enjoys the day off (if they get one)…