8/8/13

Ran the road this morning, 40 min total.  Very hard.  15 min straight downhill, then turned around, 18 min back up.  18 min of solid, steady and sometimes brutal uphill; finished last part at what I call “healthy run” pace, pushing it.  Got some water, then went back (walked) past second switchback and ran to top.  3 min of “healthy run.” Pushing it.  Then went back to what I will call “concrete slab,” a marker I use.  Ran “healthy run” to top—1:12.  So went back and did it again, as fast as I could.  57 seconds!  Took off 15 whole seconds!  Went and did it again, this time at just my regular hill climb pace, 1:30 seconds.  A little short of 40 min, but I’m happy with it. 

It’s not getting easier, exactly—this is still hard—but I am going lots farther now than I did.  Finishing stronger.  I’ll have to ask someone who knows—Mark Lattanzi, maybe Cortney, or JP, if 18 min of uphill ever gets what they might call easy.  When I did the last long trail run, I was able to go pretty fast when I would get to a relatively flat, smooth section of the trail.  There’s not much flat area around here to test it out on.  There’s a flat 5k in Roanoke next Saturday, but it’s $25 to register now, and I just don’t want to use money for that right now.  Maybe they’ll let me volunteer, doing something before or after the race.  I could ask. 

Bagel, cream cheese for breakfast, 2 cups coffee, cream little sugar. 

Back to Tommy Mcclennan.  Guitar King.  Says the recordings are from 1939-42.  This guy deserves deep study. 

Put up ad on Craigslist for a harmonica player, today.