POISED TO STRIKE

As much as I’d like to start off by talking about myself, it just wouldn’t seem right after Chris Solinsky ran 26:59.60 for 10,000m – oh yeah, in his debut at that distance. You can watch the race below. What amazed me is how smooth and relaxed Solinsky looked. Not to ruin the ending for you, but with 900m to go he effortlessly – if you can call 1:56 for the last 800m “effortless” – pulls away from a couple of Kenyans and Galen Rupp.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Having grown up in Wisconsin, but now residing in Minnesota, it can often be tough to decide who to cheer for when the 2 teams square off. I guess when it comes to running, I’m happy to cheer for both the Gophers and Badgers. I say this because in this race, former Badgers ran 26:59.60 (Solinsky), 27:23.63 (Bairu), and 27:31.56 (Nelson). And that doesn’t even include Matt Tegenkamp who’s the second fastest American ever for 5,000m in 12:58.56.

Okay, enough about those studs. I did manage to get in another run Friday night, giving me 293 for the month. The next morning I woke up with the intent of running 2:30 to 2:40. Instead, I ended up just over 3 hours. What surprised/impressed me the most is that I only had 2 pancakes (no syrup) and some water before the run. Then, during the run, I didn’t consume any calories. Maybe that’ll help teach my body to burn fat.

Those 23 miles on Saturday gave me 80 miles for the week. I had one 80-mile week last fall, but really this is my biggest sustained effort, at least mileage-wise, in nearly 2 years.

Finally, is it just me or are the red winged black birds poised to strike? And let’s not forget the geese. They should be attacking pretty soon too.

Quote of the Day;

"I haven’t seen you this fired up in a long time.” – training partner, Kim, after Saturday’s long run