Today I did the commuter training thing again. I got up early and ran a 5.4 mile route to school.

Looking at the forecast for the weekend there is a chance of rain and there is a high probability of high winds!  I have slogged through some long runs in the wind before, but it is really difficult to shoot for something specific, like a marathon pace run under those conditions. So, I decided to go for my marathon pace run on the way home. The difficult thing about running marathon pace home is that the course is to hilly. Also, I sometimes struggle with dehydration and or energy issues late in the afternoon.

Side note here:  For those following the blog awhile you know a few years ago I counted calories and dropped from the 190s to the 170s which is one major factor in kick starting my string of success. Since that time I have been yo-yoing from low 160s to high 170s. In November I hit a nice low, but then took two months off. The second month I could not even do strength training or core work. Admittedly, I think I took out some of my frustration at Cold Stone…. Anyway, when I resumed running I was 179.  Ouch. So now, I am hitting the training hard and trying to get back to the 160s or lower. This is always a challenge. You have to walk a fine line cutting back calories while giving yourself the energy you need to have successful workouts.

Back to the run report. After school I did not run with my kids. Instead, I waited till after practice for my “run home.” I headed to the Hillview parking lot and looked for a parent I could hitch a ride from. I saw the Fredericksons and they were happy to give me a ride – a ride up to the aqueduct and 60th West. From there I ran home.

I started with a half mile warm up and then I hit Marathon Pace:

As you see I was able to exceed marathon pace for the 7 mile run. Of course, the course was a net downhill so I should have been able to exceed marathon pace. Still, it felt pretty good. I think I may have been able to go under 7 for mile 7, but I was getting home sooner than planned and I was looping in and out of some of the streets at the bottom of the hill I live on. I finished the course with too many curves.