Nothing like the rockin' tunes of Buster Poindexter to 'heat' things up! Yesterday rode 31 miles a.m. with NB as she prepares for her triathlon, had a ball! Had a nice salad for lunch since I was planning on the Retro Run (sounds like 'Astro' on the Jetsons, doesn't it? "Ret - ro Run...Ro Reorge....) and I didn't want to feel 'full' or heavy especially in the heat. Like I said, I don't mind the heat; I much prefer it to cold, but that doesn't mean I want to go stupid town by eating a burger and fries for lunch before I go run. THAT'S a recipe for disaster and I don't mean bad gas, that's 'throw up' medicine right there. 'Blap' is not how I want to be remembered. It was fun as always, good crowd, hot, lots of people haul ass that first mile and crawl the last 2 (it's a 5K), but if you start 'under control' you'll do well...or as well as you can in the heat. I wasn't trying to run hard or fast, just consistent especially after that ride and I met my goals. What was cool is that 2 of my 'graduates' Randy and Abby were both getting stronger and stronger and though they weren't 'racing' either, if it had been a 4 mile run they would have passed me with ease! Randy had run 13 or so that morning, too. Again, racing and running well is not always about speed (refer to Tortoise and the Hare) - Randy and Abby started wisely and finished strong! I don't know how many people I passed in the last mile (a bunch) but I'd be willing to bet they passed even more. When running 'hard' or racing try to plan your run so that your pace is consistent, not too fast (especially in the beginning...I repeat: ESPECIALLY IN THE BEGINNING) and of course not too slow, but save enough so that you can pick it up the last mile and turn on the afterburners for the last 200 meters or so. The last mile (in 5K's and 10K's) is, for the most part, where PR's are set - the last 3 in Half Marathons and the last 5 'ish' in marathons for those who've run several. The heat was definitely a factor and again starting under control allows you to control your temperature whereas too fast, will cause that mercury to skyrocket in your thermo meter! We're having another Sunday afternoon workout at MBHS track and I'm saving my energy for that - today is gonna be a blast. I've designed a challenging, fun, Kick A workout (I think) that'll let your muscles know they've been used while burning up a bunch of calories. Running form focused with intense cardio and muscle challenge for the whole body...man I can't wait! The ab workout alone is going to create an Instant 6 Pack, while the other stuff is going to have 'em loose, strong, and running like track stars! I must admit, I have to do most of it with them, too much fun at the Ret - Ro Run post party (do the words 'free' and 'beer' really belong together for the good of mankind?) so to paraphrase Hugo Peabody in 'Bye Bye 'Birdie'..."I got a lot of sweatin to dooooo". That's all today from the Equatorial Alabama.....