1st Week Down (Almost)

I've almost made it through my first week of the fall semester. Things are going fine--no major complaints. Tomorrow Bill leaves for his 10-month appointment at the University of Colorado-Denver. He's out tonight with some friends who wanted to bid him farewell. I'm only semi-sad right now--I leave a week from tomorrow to visit him for Labor Day weekend, so maybe that's why I don't feel like this should be a big dramatic goodbye. Luckily, with the semester starting, I won't have too much time to feel sorry for myself anyway.

This weekend I am planning to do a race on Saturday and go out to lunch with my friend Christy on Sunday. I also have some work stuff to do, so I should be fairly busy. Oh, in addition, the Little League World Series continues, and I've been really into that, although all of the American teams I've been rooting for have been eliminated. It's strange how much Little League I've been watching lately since I can't even stand watching pro baseball anymore. The major leagues seem so boring, but I can't get enough of watching the kids.

So...about running...my mileage is down a little this week. I did 6 on Monday, 5 on Tuesday, and 5 this morning. I'll do maybe 5-6 tomorrow. Part of my reason for my little cutback is a taper for Saturday's race (which is 8 miles), but I've also been running really slow lately, even for me. I'm not sure if I just don't feel like pushing myself or if I'm fatigued. I'm also wondering if maybe I am getting too used to the pace I use when I do long, slow miles on my weekend runs. I shouldn't be running 14 miles at the same pace I run 5 miles, but I have been. So I've been asking myself, Am I just worn out? I'm not all that concerned about it. I will never be an incredibly fast distance runner anyway. I am just happy to be out there, and I am more proud of the distances I run than the pace at which I run those distances. However, the reasons behind why I'm slower lately are a little bit more concerning than actually being slower. Probably nothing some rest can't cure. Cooler weather will probably help, too.