Weights and Measures

I completed my 7 miler in 1:15:06. My average per mile was 10:44. I am now two weeks removed from that run, and today my long run was 9 miles. I finished in 1:27:00, which was better than expected. That was an average of 9:40 per mile. My total time was actually 1:30:23, but I was stopped by a police officer asking if I was OK. I was running on a highway outside of Silver Springs, Nevada, and apparently not many people do. She asked when my marathon was, where, how far I'd run that day, etc. etc. as if she needed someone to talk to. I didn't stop my watch, but it was at least a few minutes before she completed her verbal field sobriety test and sent me on my way.

With a bit of input from my friend Joe, I've started to do a bit of speed training. That is, I run a few miles a week at an increased pace in order to get use to running a bit faster. As you can see from the info above, I've already taken over a minute off of each mile. The 10:44 pace would have me finish the marathon in 4:41:00. Not stellar. The 9:40 pace would have me finish in 4:13:00. A few weeks ago I did a bit of math like this and figured 4 hours was not a realistic goal. Now I feel that it is entirely achievable, although it will take some work yet.


My kids poured a bunch of water over my digital scale rendering it inoperable. I bought a new one today with all the bells and whistles. It too is digital but it has sensors and a little computer in it. It keeps track of your starting weight, goal weight, date, time, and the sensors monitor your body fat percentage. I am currently rated as "Good" for my age, but am headed toward "Excellent". :-)

Since my kids ruined the last scale I haven't been able to check my weight in about 10 days. I weighed in at 169.4, meaning I've lost 13 pounds since Christmas. I still have bits and pieces I could do without, and I think I'll start the marathon somewhere in the low 160's. Two weeks ago I put on a suit that I haven't worn in a few years and it was snug back then. Now it fits great, so my wardrobe is increasing as my size decreases.