"Rain, Rain, Go Away'

Today is the anticipated 10 mile race along the Chicago lakefront..I've done it the past 2 years and knowing that it is a flat and therefore fast course I was hoping for a "PR".

Eventhough I decided during the week this would be my tempo run workout on my training schedule,I was itching to see how my times, if any, have improved from doing a little speed work and running less miles because of my IRONMAN training schedule..

But I think somebody forget to tell the weatherman to halt the rain and wind from showing up to the race..

Last night it had been raining, nothing to duck under the covers type of rain, but that annoying constant rain...

Sunday, I wake up hoping that the weatherman would be wrong..I guess I was the one wrong...

Off I go in my car, running gear in tow, even in the constant rain I know all to well that I would not be the only crazy runner out there willing to run in terrible weather for a race T-shirt...

Got to the race..Not too bad, cold, wind, and rain, I think we just needed to have it hail for a couple of minutes to make it complete...

I did my 10 to 15 minute warmup going south on the path, not bad, drizzling rain, manageable I said, then I turn around to go North, now this really sucked, wind and cold rain, not sure this will be a "PR" day..Thoughts of just hoping to at least match last years times...

Okay, the game plan, not look at my GPS pace watch and just concentrate on my Heart rate and run that way..

The race starts, tough running, I thought, counting down the miles and hoping for some relief with the change of course direction..

Mile 2, headwind and drizzling rain constant, keep with the plan, fluid every 15 minutes and gel pack at mile 6...Stay in my target heart zone, 160 to 165...

Awwhhh, finally the last 2 miles, with the wind to our backs and the rain feeling like a light drizzle, better then that annoying rain I felt on top of my head during the race...

Last 1/2 mile, crap, headwind, I was just feeling good about the whole thing...

Ohhh, finally done, with a time of 1:17:41, 7:50 pace, close to the time I wanted to do, which was 1:15, but still a little disappointed that I didn't reach my goal of running a 7:30 10 miler..But "PR" none the less...2 1/2 minutes off my previous time...

But the best thing I realized is that this Heart rate racing and training might actually work for me, stayed in control, at least most of the race and hey I didn't "BONK"...

Race over, now it is cold, need someplace warm..

Now looking forward to a recovery training week..

16 weeks until the big "A" race..crap...