Was it the shorts that slowed me down?

Well, today's training called for me to run 5 miles at race pace. We all recall that was at about 8 minutes per mile. I figured that it was going to take me a long time to get there, especially for the full 26.2, but I just got some new running shorts on Thursday that did 2 things: 1) they were much lighter than the ones I got on the Central Coast (they had a really bad selection where I shopped) and 2) they don't make my butt look big. I got the 5 miles done in an eye-popping 40:14.56! That 8:03 per mile! The fastest was the third mile at 7:46 and the slowest was the second at 8:18. It was pretty warm out and the shorts were a lot lighter than my other ones, so that coupled with breaking in the new shoes may have got me to what I hope is a natural pace for me. I warmed up by mowing the folk's yard and then I went out to run 10 laps on a 1/2 mile circuit that had a gradual 500 yard incline and a more precipitous decline over 200 yards. This is pretty similar to the Illinois Marathon course, so hopefully, I won't be surprised as training goes on. I'm stoked about the results today! I just need to not get too excited; patience is the key.

Speaking of patience, I need to slow down on something else. The real estate market is good from a buyers perspective and I have always liked "New York" style apartments in brownstone buildings. Well downtown Champaign is really turning into a hopping place and there are a number of nice units within walking distance to the West Side Park and nightlife all right around $100K. I can afford that, I just need to be patient and get the finances a little bit more in order before committing to something; especially if I am not entirely sure how long I will be here. I want a lot of stuff now, but by my telling you all that I recognize that I need to slow down, I can't say I did not think about it. Almost 30 good days in a row, I don't need to screw that up now.

I said I would post pictures about my training. Took some today and will add to the blog on Monday (technical issues). Hope to get rid of some of the stuff on my sides without resorting to micro-lipo. I'll track progress over the months. 8 miles tomorrow; I could sure use a leg massage.