S March 19, 2006
Okay, I did the 70 minute run. I am now performing at the novice level.
Time: 4:40pm Temperature: 44° Precipitation: none, beautiful sunshine. I could see Mt. Baker. I could see other mountains from certain spots but I wasn't sure what they were. My view of Mt. Baker inspired a poem but Andrea didn't like it so I won't record it here.
Length: 70 minutes- 6 miles
Route:
House to MP 1: walked
MP 1 to MP 2: 11:39
MP 2 to MP 3: 11:43
MP 3 to MP 3: 11:27
MP 3 to MP 2: 11:46
MP 2 to MP 1: 12:00
MP 1 to MP 0: 12:12

Total run time: 70 minutes
Walk home and stretch for 25 minutes.
Dogs: 5 Other Joggers: 4 Cyclists: 9
Signs of Spring: I don't remember. There were plenty of blooms and birds. No baby ducks.
My thoughts were bland. I tried pretending that I had an iPod. I started with the words to Bob Seger's "Against the Wind" for obvious reasons. I then scrolled my mental iTunes library and tried a few Melissa Etheridge and Dar Williams tunes. And then I decided that pretending to have an iPod wasn't really working out. I couldn't get past a single verse and chorus of anything. I tried planning my work week. That lasted 5 steps. Then I thought about teaching next year. If this job doesn't get funded I would have to find a teaching job. This led me to thinking about keeping up my running scheduled if I have to teach. As if I am going to have any interest in running after doing a half marathon. I had a glimpse of trying to train for an actual marathon, then back to earth realizing that I was having difficulty finishing 6 miles. I had a pang in my left knee at the 4 mile mark and my pinky toe went a little numb at the 5 mile mark.