Fartleks (And A Cool Front!!!)

This morning, it was the standard pre-race Thursday fartlek workout with the Gazelles. It was overcast and a bit windy as we got going, and the temperature actually dropped as we went along. Finally, it appears that the end of the 100+ degree days is upon us. I ran the fartleks with Amy, Shannon, Susan, Margaret and David, and we took turns leading the accelerations as we did the Congress Avenue loop on the trail. 15 minutes or so of nice and easy running (9:53 pace for just over 1.5 miles) led to the 10 x 1:00 fartlek section. I led the first one, and we all did good work leading the pack. There's a certain pressure to do a good job out front, but we enjoyed the morning. We ended up with just under 2.5 miles of fartlek running, at an average pace of 8:08/mile, including the 1:00 recovery bits between the fartleks. Finished it off with .9 miles of cooldown running at 9:07 pace. Overall, right at 5 miles, 8:52 overall pace for the morning.

We actually got chilled waiting after the run was over, which was a welcome change after so many weeks of sweltering heat. Granted, it was still only 74 degrees, but the slight breeze really felt good. Once Gilbert and the folks who did the 7 mile loop showed up, we did some strides and then some form drills and hopping. It was fun to do that stuff today.

When we walked back to RunTex, the Governor's black Suburban showed up, and he hopped out for his run. I talked with him for a bit about the weather (that's what we all talk about), his workouts, and then about how the hurricanes have impacted on his workweek. I told him about my Mom and how her church did during Rita, and he talked for a bit about how the churches really saved the day in both Katrina and Rita, doing for people without all the paperwork and red tape that government sometimes requires. It was actually a pretty interesting chat, and as always, I must admit that I didn't vote for the man, but he's not such a bad guy when you talk to him outside of his normal workplace.

I was heckled by some of the Gazelles for chatting up the Gov, but that's okay with me. I joined Amy, Karen, Shannon and Alex for some stretching, and the day was done.

Now, I just have to figure out what my goal is for the IBM 10K...