Running fast

Yesterday I got a very cool Atayne tshirt in the mail from the Wilderness Running Company, courtesy of Stuart from Quadrathon.  I usually run in a tank top, not a T, but I really like the fit and hand of this shirt, plus it's a v-neck (crew necks choke me) and pretty flattering, so I just might make an exception.  It's also made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, which somehow makes a very nice technical fabric.
Stuart seems to be the source of just about everything I've won on internet (I probably forgot something, somewhere, ooops in advance), so let's take a tour, shall we?

The aforementioned shirt (won in a drawing), plus a stretchy headband (won for being the first person to post, at something like 2 am) and, my fave, a perfect Asics running bag that I bought with a gift certificate won as part of a weight loss challenge (in which overall I lost no weight, but had a fluke good week).  So, in addition to being the first running blog I ever read, the source of endless inspiration and an all-around good read (and podcasts!), Quadrathon is also a great place to score schwag (but don't tell anyone).
Also yesterday, I did something highly unusual -- I tried to run fast.   The wonderful Truckee Running Club Underground race series continued with another 5K, and for some reason I decided I would try for a sub :30, which would -- to the best of my recollection -- represent a 3 or 4 minute time shave for me.  Ambitious!  One of the fast club runners (who am I kidding, they are ALL fast, and I mean that seriously -- these folks run!) was feeling a bit punky and decided to run from the back with me -- yay! a pacer!  I told him my goal, and he awesomely helped me along my way, talking me through the course and running me to the finish.  This was a hard, hard race for me -- I do NOT have a gear greater than "plodding"!  I tried to keep the pedal to the medal, was 15:08 at the turn-around, tried to pick it up throughout the second half, but when it came to that last .1 I just could not lay it down any faster and came in at :30:38!  Just off my goal, but a PR and a time that will definitely fall sometime this summer.
Something that just doesn't make sense to me.  Here's my splits (from the Garmin):
Mile 1  9:31Mile 2  10:01Mile 3  10:02Mile .1  9:42 (I tried!)Average pace 9:51
Now, fine, I'm sure it all adds together nicely and mathematically and all, but it just seems to me, LOGICALLY, that if one were to average a 9:51 pace, one should be able to run a 5K in under 30 minutes.  I guess it's that pesky tenth of a mile.  Fucking metric system.
Trying not to die!
Lessons learned from this race:  I do NOT like to run fast.  Sure, I like to push myself and suffer with the best of 'em, but this Run Fast make your legs hurt and feel empty and your stomach churn and oh yeah that breathing thing? give it up for a while! stuff is NOT FOR ME!  Omygod, do you people really DO this?  This should come as no surprise, but I'll take my 5+ hour marathon finish any old day over this run-as-fast-as-you-can bullshit.  

I've been waiting for an appropriate time to post this.
To that end, this morning I signed up for the Downtown San Rafael One Mile Run taking place this Sunday morning in Marin.  After a 12 hour night shift in a busy ER, no less.
What the fuck am I thinking???



ps.  Tom read yesterday's post and said "You really went public with the Paul Lydne thing?!?"  He understands the gravitas of me telling that, my deep dark secret, to the blogging world.  That's one of the aspects that makes him the best partner of all time.  Too bad, Mr. Lynde.  heehee!