Is it true....The more you suffer the more you show you really care

"The more you suffer, the more you show you really care" Red Hot Chili Peppers

This was the song playing on the way back from this morning's training run. This line has some sadistic truth in it.

We all met at 7 AM Sunday for a 6 mile run @ mid-tempo pace. First of all, having this on Sunday is throwing me off. I'm so used to 7AM on Saturday that I feel like I should have another day in the weekend. Hmmmfff. I wish I did. Maybe I'll forget to set my alarm (D does have this week off) and not wake up in time for work. SWEET! Ok, I guess I can't do that. At least not intentionally.....

I didn't make my goal, which is not the actual time on the chart. It's all a mind game. According to the chart, I should be running 6 miles at a 10:26 pace. That would be a total of 1: 02:24. My actual time was 1:03:25. So I missed it by 1:01. Realistically, that's not bad since we had a hill, I didn't have a chance to hydrate will yesterday, I didn't eat well yesterday, I had a nice wine tasting evening, etc. But in my mind, I was trying for a 1:00, so I really missed it by 3:25. I have to try for something better than the goal-that way if I don't make it, I can justify it in my head. But if I do reach the ficticious time, that would be better. Yeah.

Backing up to yesterday, the compass and map reading class at REI was great. I forgot some things on the compass and others were explained so it was a nice "refresher" course. But it really wasn't a refresher. If a helicoper were to drop me in the middle of the mountains with a map and a compass, I would have been lost. Now- I might be able to find a way out of a paper bag :0 I now understand declination, how to adjust my compass to magnetic north (that declination thing), how it all relates to a map, really understanding topo lines. AND THE BEST PART, I found out that the average pace to add for a hill-1 minute per 20 vertical ft. Neat formula. And the average pace is 15 minutes per mile. A K is 1.6 of a mile or .6 of a mile= 1 K.

The re-gen class yesterday was also great. This morning when I was using the new "toys," I kept thinking "I paid how much for all this torture?" I think it is helping though. I rolled this morning before the 6 mile run. I could feel pressure in my knee, but I didn't feel any pain. And I wasn't crippled afterwards, hobbling around like a one-legged sailor. Funny visual-Simpsons character in my mind. Wasn't his name Salty?) I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.

Now I get to park myself in from of the TV and watch Wimbleton. I missed my Nadal playing yesterday :(