'12 step program'...

...my name is Mark and I have a problem. I am 'scatterbrained'. A combination of my personality, 'running brain' (as my wife calls it) and life in general (later with that story) I messed up this morning's planned big marathon session (10mile decent pace warm up, 10mile at MP pace and short warm down) as I failed to once again properly read the weekly email that Dick sends out.

Normally we do weekend workouts at 9:30 at Stanley Park on Sat, so I 'assumed' the same time again. Now having said that most Sunday runs begin at 9:00 so I should have known better. For some reason I read Dick's email just before I was about to leave and saw in red lettering 9:00....oops (as it takes me about 30mins to get to Stanley Park). As I wrote to Dick in an email I should have shown up and did a shorter warm up and ran 12-13 miles, but alas I was not a happy camper.

Maybe it was meant to be as I had originally planned a long marathon fartlek I did before both CIM and Ottawa (before Sacramento it went well, but before Ottawa I had been really sick). I had himmed and hawed about this and decided to do show up chat with Dick and go from there). So I had another cup of coffee and debated on where to do the session. I was going to run around the streets, but decided to do a combination of the outer Mundy Park loop, so I had some semblance of pace, and then headed out on the bike path around Mundy Park and then back into the park to see if things changed.

The session was a quicker 40+ min warm up and then get through 7 x 6mins at MP pace effort/HR and 3 mins a little slower using my HR monitor (so mid 160s for the MP effort and low/mid 150s for the easier part) and then 3mins off 2mins til I hit 1 hr 20mins. This is how it went:

1) warm up of approx 11km (single approx 5km loop at Mundy) with a 19min loop and then (with a slower HR and effort level) 18mins and then a little extra tagged on to hit 11km
2) get a gel,water, change shoes, etc....
3) head out on my first fartlek loop and was concerned as my HR was bang on, but my splits were quick the first half loop 8:05 (I toned it down and ended up at 16:30) so considering the easier parts decent
4) out on to the road I went and then came back for my nos. 6and 7 (had some fluid replacements as I practiced drinking, but i should have thrown a gel in there or probably earlier) and then back out. Ran a very controlled loop at 16:42 (but 8:15 first half so more even than nos 1 and 2), which was a pleasant surprise.. I was afraid I might have slowed down, but in fact it felt good
5) did 2 x 3mins off 2min same way, but after I hit 7 I lost my focus and my form faltered on the second 3 minuter. It was like last yr when I tried to run with my upper body and not my core.
6) my session was going from great to a mess, when I realized what I was doing and decided to do 60 sec off 30 sec, but was able o get the form back and finish strongly. I was amazing what a difference in the 'struggle' form versus the 'strong' form.
7) a combination of probably needing more nourishment and getting through the tough section made the last 10-15 mins a struggle

But wait it gets better (not the workout, but my idiocy). I check my cell phone whenever I am away from it and see I have 2 missed messages. 'Two' uh oh....I call Julie ASAP....no answer at home...call her cell...no answer....look at my who has called me section and see a phone call from home. 'Oh man, here it goes'. I call Julie's parents home...no answer....eeeekkkkk....call Julie's mom's cell...but she hasn't heard from Julie. Okay stress level goes down.

I pull into the driveway and her car is there...*deep breath*. All this time she'd been sleeping, and the message I saw about her calling from home was in fact my original call home to her. If that doesn't explain me right now then nothing will....funny thing is I've been pretty calm, but she is technically due in one week, so my high alert button has gone from cruise control to attentive.