The Elusive 10

Let me preface this with a fact: I am not a fast runner. I never have been. (ok, that was two facts.)

They say that when you least want to run is the time you need it the most. And today I fit the bill. After a streak of beautiful weather, it is cold, wet and dreary in Kansas City today. Not the kind of weather that inspires me to be out running. And work today did not inspire either.

But lately, a lot of you have been inspiring me. Benny with his ironman. KT with her 22 miles. (full account isn't on her blog yet, but she e-mailed me some details.) Jeanne the speed demon and A. Maria who WILL break a 5 hour marathon. So needless to say, I have a lot to live up to. (And those are just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to the RBF.)

And there's another thing that inspired me. The Trolley Run. A mere 4 mile run that is challenging me to run fast. Ok, fast for me. After all, you can't run "the fastest 4 mile run..." and not set some time goals, right?

So back to tonight. The run. It needed to happen. And so I returned to my old friend, the treadmill in the weight room at my apartment complex. Won't miss that place. I set the first mile: 5.7 mph., approx. a 10:30 mile. (The one good thing about a treadmill for me is I can see my splits. I need to get a watch, I know, especially if I'm going to turn into a speedster.) And then I did something crazy. I jacked it up to 6.0. That is a 10 minute mile. I don't run 10 minute miles. I just don't. But tonight, I did. And you know what? I did another one. Yup, that's two 10 minute miles and one 10:30.

Disclaimer: I have to be honest, the second 10 minute mile is actually an 11 minute mile b/c while I kept the speed at 6.0, I took it down for about 45 seconds b/c my face was so hot I thought I was going to pass out. So, technically, I didn't run two in a row, but I did something I had never done before and I'm pretty darn proud of myself. And I'm really proud of myself for cranking it back up to 6.0 to finish the third mile.

So, what does that mean for Sunday? Watch out "fastest 4 mile in the U.S."