Six Miles

My latest running accomplishment was a six miler yesterday. Here is what is important to know about it. 

* It's my longest distance since February 13, when I ran a six miler in my third trimester.

 

* I headed out around noon in temps flirting with 90 ... and sticky, slimy, soupy humidity and a dew point in the seventies. 

* I maintained a pace of about 9:30/mile -- 9:38, 9:26, 9:28, 9:40, 9:39, 9:48 -- 

* The tail end of this run included the Harlem Hills, which I also haven't run in ages.

* I cheated a little since I had a pre-run iced skinny vanilla latte and Baby slept nearly 8 hours the night before. There was also cloud coverage, so the sun wasn't a huge factor.

* My inspiration primarily came from the Flyer LTR pacers who ran 16 - 20 miles the previous day in sweltering conditions. I kept thinking that if they managed to run that far in the heat, I could muster up the energy to knock out six.

* I'm very pleased with this run, even though it was a far cry from running on the California coast. 

I have so many thoughts about future racing possibilities. At this stage, I'm thinking big and disregarding the fact that I have a little one to consider. Whatever happens with my upcoming race schedule (or lack, thereof), I'm enjoying the planning process and getting excited about racing again. Sometimes that is half the fun!

There are some short road races I'm considering this fall, but my eye (as always) is on the marathon. I really want to complete another one in 2012, even if I just run it for fun. I'm already assembling a list of possibilities including Napa, Big Sur, Grandmas, & San Francisco. I'm also eyeing up next year's fall marathons. Hopefully by the time I begin to train again, Baby will be on a more predictable schedule and I will have more ducks in a row re: my parenting job. Until then, I'm just going to dream about it ;)