Erika, nice pace on those last couple of miles. Glad to hear your foot seems to be improving. I'm sure taper will help. Congrats on signing up for Boston. I'm just a couple of decades away from qualifying Bugs, couldn't you test it out with a nice 5 miler? Hope it goes OK for you. 9 miles today in more sweltering heat. Got out fairly early and that helped. Sort of an odd run. Easy warmup then a bunch of miles at MP (8:35-8:40), then faster down to a 7:43, then stopped at a water fountain and slowed down for the rest of the run. If I had a "stupid" category in my log I would've put it in that way but logged as "fartlek" instead.

Dave, You make me laugh. 5 mile was yesterday, it feels so normal I figured I'd go on a longer run. I only missed a couple days of running, but feels like I'm falling behind. Your run wasn't stupid, it was very good training for that 10K we're going to race. Erika, They do grow up fast don't they. The bus got them to school late and the 7 yr old did not want to walk 5 yr old to his classroom (like Mother instructed). I guess I should be like one of those Mom's that follow the bus to school and walk them to class. I hope you have the stay out of trouble kind of kids. I promised my kids that if they have NO that if there are no notes sent home we'll go to Disney World. (It'll never happen.) I can easily get up in the AM if I know it's the only time I can run. One day a week I meet a friend and we run 10 miles at m-pace together. Much easier with a friend. Recommend, when you get up to pee drink a glass of water. You'll feel better when you run. Thought you'd be use to the dark from your winter runs. 12 miles, avp pace 9:10. Ankle was sore the last mile but seemed fine when I stopped running. I hope it doesn't start screaming during the night.

Thought you'd be use to the dark from your winter runs.

But it takes awhile to get used to that again, and it's a gradual process. Remember, I'm coming off several months of 18-20+ hours of daylight! I drove in the dark with my headlights on for the first time in months just a couple weeks ago... My kids would die if I drove behind the bus. Heheh, I should do it, honking and waving at them... heheh. It's funny that what they'd like and find reassuring when they're starting grade school would be totally mortifying to them in high school! Since I took Tuesday as a rest day, I'll be doing my Tuesday run today. Just 4-5 easy miles at lunchtime, a much more civilized hour if you ask me.

Thats just cruel, Bugs 8 more for me today. Mostly easy with one hard mile around mile 7. Hot and humid (Shan, I know you're feeling this too). Hoping for 5 tomorrow for my first 50 mile week. Tropical storm coming up the coast (about 80 miles south it's raining) so may not be able to fit them in. Overall, I'm pretty beat up from the mileage but I'm afraid I got too dehydrated and now have a flare up of gout in my foot. At least its sore. We'll see what happens.

Dave, isn't gout a flare up from too much uric acid, i.e., too much protein in your diet? (if you're susceptible, that is) I saw something about it when I was looking up my metatarsal problem...

It is but dehydration is a contributing factor as well. I haven't had a problem in a few years since I've been running consistently. The increased circulation from the exercise seems to hold it at bay. This isn't as bad as previous outbreaks so I'm hoping some extra hydration will flush the uric acid away. Sucks.

Erika, I didn't even look at your run and splits. I am jealous of both the 52 temps and how easy it sounds like it felt. I've been running some miles in the 7's and I wouldn't describe too many of them as "easy", at least for me. Guess I'll get a better guage as the temps drop here. FWIW, I brought the gout stuff on myself this time, I think. Couple of extra beers this week along with the extra mileage probably didn't do me any favors. My diet isn't terrible but we did have steak last night. Bugs, nice that you can run though it but I hope you take it easy on the races. I'm such a nag.

Brian - I am lurking but here.