Sorry, loyal readers . . . Almost forgot to post my time! In spite of some rain and very high humidity, with the help of my besties I posted a time of 34:40. :)

Around the corner

Forty is within sight--both the age and my total race miles leading up to it.  I'll be completing the final 1.4 miles (plus an additional 1.7) this Saturday at the Race Across the Spectrum:  5K for Autism in Brentwood, TN.  The weather leading up to the race has been hot and humid, with an emphasis on the latter over the past few days.  Unfortunately, these are the worst conditions for me personally--I do much better in the cold and dry than warm and wet.  Nevertheless, my goal is to finish in 35 minutes or under!

I realize that I never posted a follow-up after my last 5K; the reason is that it turned out to be kind of a fiasco.  The coordinators put on a very nice event, but in spite of the name, it was not really a race, nor was it designed for runners.  I logged the 3.1 miles for the record books and moved on.

This Saturday's course is promised to be fairly flat, so in spite of the muggy conditions, I'm hoping I can reach my goal!  I'll try and post my finishing time by Saturday afternoon, so check back here to see whether or not I did.

This time tomorrow . . .

. . . I should have only 1.4 miles left to my final goal!

I am writing from beautiful Bend, Oregon, where I have been vacationing with my dear friends for the past few days.  Tomorrow morning, I will be running in the Heaven Can Wait 5K.  I have been training these past few weeks to try and finish under 35 minutes on race day, and have had reasonable success.  However, there was no way back home in Nashville that I could train for the altitude here in central Oregon.  And my only attempt at running during my time here did not go well--the altitude kicked my heinie and my breathing got a bit labored.  So it remains to be seen how tomorrow will go.

On a positive note, the weather is predicted to be on my side:  55 degrees and partly cloudy, perfect for a 5K! Also, I couldn't help but being inspired by all the world class athletes I had the privilege of cheering on at today's Prefontaine Classic.  So maybe I have a chance at sub-35 after all . . . we will all just have to wait and see!

I'm a little slow . . .

. . . and not just with regards to blog posts.  My official time for the Country Music Half was 2:51:59, which for those of you playing at home, is nine seconds slower than my half time from last November.  Considering how hot, humid and sunny it was that day, I'm not complaining.  Although I am slightly disappointed not to have beaten my previous time.

But in happier news, look at the awesome photos taken by some of the official race photographers!

There I go!

My next event will be a 5K in Bend, Oregon, on Sunday, June 4.  My goal is to finish in 35 minutes or under.  So far training has been a little difficulty, due largely to the fact that my Garmin was stolen (I don't really want to talk about it).  But I have high hopes that with the mild weather in Bend, plus five days of pre-race carb loading (aka "beer drinking"), I can reach my goal!

Update from a pitiful blogger: Gearing up for the Country Music Half on Saturday! After this race, I will be less than 5 miles from my goal!

Posting here for the sake of accountability: about to do 8 miles after slacking (mostly due to illness) the last few weeks. Goal time is 1:40.

On the down side, I missed my goal time of two hours for today's 10 miles by two minutes and twelve seconds. On the up side, I ran 10 miles today. :)