Fartlek is a funny word

But then again, I grew up near a town named Hicksville. So it's all relative.

My neighborhood is hills. If I run downhill for 1.5 miles I will get to flatter territory, and then to get back to my front door I have to head back up the hills. So, by default, I spend much of my regular runs doing hills. This morning I went out for my most well tread path, which is a full loop around our local ski hill. Lots of left turns.

With morning traffic playing a role in my ability to keep a steady pace, I was surprised to hear my final pace was 10:04. I figure that means my running time was quite a bit peppier, which makes me happy. I could have stopped the Nano at every intersection, but that seems like cheating; in a race you can't stop the clock if you have to tie your shoes.

On a sidenote, the Nike Sport thing on my iPod has a bug. Every time I run, either Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe congratulates me on a record time or distance. Even though I know it is wrong, I haven't done anything to see about correcting it. Would you if you ran your fastest mile every time? Or if you covered another 500km, even though all you did was go for a 5k jog?

I think tomorrow is the last time I'll run prior to the race. Maybe something short and sweet Friday evening. P will be heading out of town on Friday, so it'll just be me and the cats. I would mind ending the week with a poke around the neighborhood.

Today I got excited for the upcoming trip. I don't know if I'd ever live in DC, but I really do like visiting. I've never seen the cherry blossoms in bloom (other than pictures), and I think it's going to be amazing. I got some great advice from Sir Chilles on the course, and the whole thing, like all of these events, is going to go by fast.

Plus, I have a few things to think about on the run. Passover is coming, and each year my father in law devises a question that we must answer as a part of the first night's Seder. Oh, the pressure! Sometimes it's pretty touchy feely, but this year it's all serious... "What is the number one priority in America today?" I could go all pithy and say hope, or patience, but that might make me vomit at the table (wouldn't want to waste that yummy seder meal!). So I gots to get thinking...