Weekend? What Weekend?

Three times I read and re-read today's training plan. A 2:30 run? You've gotta be kidding, Karyn! But there it was, on the Internet in black and white. Taunting me, teasing and challenging me and, finally, getting me off my ass and over to a county Forest Preserve trail for 3 out-and-back loops totalling 16.4 miles and the aforementioned two hours and thirty minutes.

My pace was just over 9 minutes/mile - about what I'm targeting for my half-marathon in two weeks. I know it's slow (and needs to be down closer to 7:30 minutes/mile later in the year) but I'm content for now. It's a pace I can maintain indefinitely and use as a training benchmark. I'm gonna add a 5K or two to my April racing schedule just to benchmark my pace in a flat-out sprint race.

Yesterday's workouts were a 1:00 recovery spin on the bike and an hour-long, 2,200 yard swim. The swim's main set was 6X200 (descending 1-3 and 4-6, i.e. easy, moderate, fast.) Watching a Rolling Stones' DVD whilst on the bike just re-confirmed my goal of being reincarnated as Charlie Watts (Stones' drummer) in my next life. How cool must it be to sit back there watching Mick & the Boys' antics while your sly, intelligent and rock-solid drumming propels songs like "Brown Sugar," "Satisfaction," and "Honky Tonk Woman?" Way cool, that's how cool.