Countdown

The countdown is certainly on. I am in the final week before MS50 - Carl Touchstone outside Laurel, Mississippi. And, as luck would have it, I'm afraid I'm getting sick. Hopefully the flu/cold/stuffy head/etc. will hold off until Sunday. We'll see.

I'll take today off, run tomorrow and Wednesday, take Thursday off and then a very short run Friday to keep the legs loose.

Mercedes Marathon 2008

MS50 is only 3 weeks away. Yesterday was the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham. This was my last tune up for the MS50. The weather was beautiful even though it was a tad warm. I planned to run the race slow, finishing in 4:00+, primarily working on my in-race nutrition, sodium intake, etc. Fortunately or unfortunately the adrenaline took over and I ended up runing a 3:41.07. Even though that was faster than I intended, the race was great. I ran the first 8 miles with a good friend, Frank Clark. Frank was running the half-marathon and his course left mine around the 8.5 mile mark. That left me to my thoughts and running for the remaining 18. It is amazing the things you think to yourself to motivate you to continue pressing . . . in this case I kept thinking about the schwag at the finish! Mercedes finishers get a sweet Brooks long sleeve technical shirt and a finisher's medal that looks like a hood ornament, and frankly weighs about like the hood itself.

I took today off but look forward to hitting it again tomorrow. I hope to have a solid week this week and then taper the final two weeks before the race. I am planing on hitting the trails this weekend with Mann for 15 or so.