What's the 4-1-1

Me! I'm the 4-1-1! What?

I finally signed up today for the First Annual Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon on October 7 and 8. My bib number is 411. Goofy, I know but what do you expect from me. I had read about this race quite awhile ago on both Planet3rry and Steve's sites. Since I'm already signed up for a full marathon that day I figured I ought to join in the fun of a world wide half marathon. I just have to decide which half of the marathon I want to report. So if you haven't signed up yet head on over here and get signed up. Then get out there and put in 13.1 miles; easy for some, a challenge for others. Just get out there and do it. It should be fun running a half marathon with fellow runners from all over the world.

As far as the Disneyland Half goes, I've pretty much decided that its not in the cards for me this year. I would have just run it for fun anyway, rather than raced it. Running with someone's bib is somewhat problematic considering the guy I'd be pretending to be is older than me. But who am I kidding, they are tons of older guys that can kick my sorry behind any old day, so it's not as though I'd be stealing anybody's thunder. Maybe I'll work it in next year, but I can never get that Inaugural thing back (you know what I'm talking about, Drew?). And yes, Donald, the medal is a little more "cute" than it is "cool". I should resist that whole Disney mega-marketing thing anyway, but I'm so weak.....

Anyway, tonight I headed back over to Bonelli for 5 miles. I felt so good on Tuesday, I decided to do the Sunday morning loop again today. I don't really know why, but I really, really enjoy this loop. And although I'm a watch guy (sorry Rob), on a run like this with no mile markers I just "set it and forget it". So I left the park and ride lot headed over the freeway overpass, hit the start button and never looked back until I crossed back over the freeway.

When I finished today, I was like "NO WAY!". I had made a pretty serious improvement in my time. I realize not everybody is interested in this but I went back and checked my log for the year and looked up all my times for this 5 mile route. I have run this particular loop 10 times this year ( yes I keep track of this stuff). I've actually run it more times than that but the others were part of longer runs so I don't have the 5 mile times for all of them. Anyway when I guessed on Tuesday that my 47:41 was the best time on the loop, I was right. My next best time on the same loop 49:54 back on April 9. I've done the loop in as slow as 57:06 on June 25. Tonight I can't really explain what happened. We did get an usually cool day today, low 70's at best, and overcast pretty much all day. I was lovin' it. My final time was, ta da, 45:21, over 2 minutes better than just 2 days ago. 45 minutes is what I used to run on the flat path at the dam, not on the hills in Bonelli. I'm stoked about that, no doubt.

Friday is a scheduled day off. The first official Friday off in six weeks on the new schedule that my hip has blown all to pieces, but I'm taking it none the less. I go to see the chiropractor for the third time tomorrow as well. Then its off to Huntington Beach on Saturday morning for 22 miles. The hip is feeling better so I guess the rest wasn't for naught and as a bonus I achieved a PR time in Bonelli.