Sun and Diamonds

Good morning.

An amazing thing happened yesterday. The sun was out all day. I honestly cannot remember the last time that happened this winter. It felt really good to run with the sun in my face and at my back as I meandered my way along the lakefront path.

The ice formations on Lake Michigan are spectacular. Part of the sculpture are big piles if ice that look like frozen waves. Nature is fascinating with all the formations that occur all on their own. Parts of the scene were huge bodies of ice clusters that looked like a sea of broken diamonds glistening in the sun.

There were lots of good runners on the path. Training groups, two's, three's and groups. You can just tell. They move with a purpose. They have a goal. Their strides today, not so fast but effortless. Their pace a little slower, on purpose, a "long slow distance run?" Are they getting ready for Boston? What about him, how about her? They look so good. What can I learn from their form? What do they think of me? I am excited to be in their company. I'm in Boston too!

My 16+ miler went well. It was warm for a change, sunny. I was a good boy and kept my pace 45-90 seconds slower than marathon pace. My Boston pace is not set in stone, but around 7:45-7:55. There were some aches along the way but so what. Have to get used to pushing through those obstructions. One quote stayed with me, "pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever." I like that quote because it is so true. My heart rate during the run stayed very low which is good. The stats:

Split Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Speed Max Speed Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:21 1 69 164 9:21 7:20 116 139 0 70
2 0:08:59 1 69 43 8:59 6:46 118 122 0 80
3 0:08:52 1 128 72 8:52 6:16 120 139 0 68
4 0:08:44 1 98 141 8:44 6:09 120 130 0 70
5 0:08:50 1 7 52 8:50 7:40 123 126 0 77
6 0:08:50 1 16 23 8:50 7:35 121 136 0 67
7 0:08:56 1 7 13 8:56 8:05 120 139 0 60
8 0:08:53 1 16 16 8:53 8:19 121 124 0 71
9 0:08:42 1 66 36 8:42 7:33 123 128 0 71
10 0:08:51 1 13 13 8:51 8:12 123 126 0 71
11 0:08:45 1 43 39 8:45 8:03 125 128 0 72
12 0:08:43 1 52 36 8:43 7:54 123 128 0 64
13 0:08:44 1 115 59 8:44 7:01 125 131 0 68
14 0:08:46 1 82 121 8:46 6:19 126 130 0 68
15 0:08:42 1 49 85 8:42 7:34 123 130 0 53
16 0:08:39 1 10 36 8:39 7:55 129 134 0 72
17 0:03:09 0.37 7 10 8:27 7:16 132 134 0 27
Summary 2:24:32 16.37 846 958 8:49 6:09 122 139 0 1,129



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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin