Tearing Through A Run

I had a great run on Thursday and I just had to share. And then I have some other stuff to share below so stick around for that.

I hadn't intended on running because my morning was crammed since I had somewhere to go this afternoon, but my afternoon suddenly and unexpectedly cleared up for me so I had some extra time. Thus, I dropped Kennedy off at preschool and off I went to Mt. Rubidoux.

Now, before I get into that, let me talk about last week's run there. I went last Thursday (I'm thinking this may become a tradition) and I actually ran six miles. It's four miles from the entrance, all the way to the top and back, so last week I ran one mile up, one mile down, then ran the two miles up and two miles back down for a total of six.

Those splits: 8:40, 8:19, 9:56, 10:27, 8:39, 8:49.

Today, as I said, my afternoon was cleared up for me and I won't get into it but I was actually a bit upset. I was in WTF-did-I-do? mode, a little angry, and maybe that contributed to my kick-ass run.

Today's splits: 9:53, 9:36, 7:57, 7:29.

So the first mile I ran about a minute slower today than last week, but last week I got gassed right away. I know it's downhill but look at those last two splits! And if it was just the downhill contributing to my time, last week's last two miles (the 8:39 and 8:49) would have been much faster.

New Blog Buds

If you have a blog, then you went through the initial stage where you could count the number of readers you had on one hand. For me, I could have counted the number of readers on this blog with one finger for the first four months of this blog. That's why I blogged exactly zero times from mid-July to mid-October of 2008, but life was breathed into this blog after I started getting some readers, and the rest is blog history.

I always felt back then that I was in an abandoned warehouse, talking loudly but to a vast, empty space. I wondered "Is anybody reading this? Am I pouring out my feelings for them to go into a cyperspace wasteland?" Times have since changed, and while I don't have a readership in the hundreds or anything, it's nice to know that someone's reading my stuff.

Anyway, I came across a few start-up running blogs if you will, and figured I'd spread the word, since I know how nice it is to have regular readers.

* Jacqi of Engineering The Run is an engineer (hence the creative title) based somewhere in or around DC or Virginia or Maryland or wherever. It's the East Coast, it's cold, it's not SoCal. Anyway, she's training for a marathon and recently signed up for a half-marathon, race distances she's never raced before.

* Brandi of Run Bundles, Run! just got into running and signed up for the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon in June. She lives in Alaska! That's awesome! She has to deal with polar bears and narwhals and stuff... no, actually, I don't think she does, just some bitterly cold weather. I'm such a wimp, I'm not sure I could last for very long at any temperatures under 30 degrees, and that's a warm day for her.

* Whitney of It's What Moves Me came recommonded by Christy of It Just Looks Like Slow Motion, so with that stamp of approval you can't go wrong. Whitney has run five half-marathons... and no 5Ks, 10Ks or any other race distance. That's pretty cool actually. Here's a little Q&A with Whitney on Christy's blog.

Anyway, just wanted to share these blogs and try and spread their words. Keep on running ladies, whatever your goals are.