I had a pretty crappy morning. Everything was going fine, actually. The weather is pristine (50s, sunny, mild wind) and I had a really nice run on the lakefront. BUT, when I got back from my run, I found my car being towed. I begged and pleaded the tow-truck driver to get my car off of the truck and even offered to compensate him for his trouble, but he refused. Fortunately, he let me get my phone and wallet out of the car AND gave me a ride to the auto pound, saving me a hefty cab fare. I don't even want to know what would have happened had I not gotten there then. I would have been stranded 5 miles from my house with no keys, no wallet, and no phone. Apparently there was an event in the park, though I didn't see any no parking signs. Ah, the City of Chicago. I guess that they have to get revenue from someplace.

What really stinks about this is that I missed my flight to San Antonio while I was trying to get the car out of the pound. Now it looks like I'll arrive there close to 9pm. Special thanks to my in-laws for finding a notary on short notice and faxing the appropriate forms so I could even get the car.

Anyway, the run... It was the last long run leading up to the half-marathon in two weeks. I was due for 12 miles. As I mentioned, conditions were perfect and I had a nice run. I didn't push the pace, just wanting to cover the distance steadily.

Mile 1: 8:51
Mile 2: 8:47
Mile 3: 8:39
Mile 4: 8:39
Mile 5: 8:37
Mile 6: 8:39
Mile 7: 8:34
Mile 8: 8:41
Mile 9: 8:41
Mile 10: 8:36
Mile 11: 8:38
Mile 12: 8:27 (race pace)

Overall: 12.64 miles in 1:49:13 (8:38/mile)

This is the longest distance that I've ever run and I'm pleased that I was able to keep a steady pace. My race pace will be about 10 seconds/mile faster, which I should be able to do (depending on the weather). Now I start my taper. I don't have any runs more than 5 miles long for the next few weeks until the actual race.

This week: 26.98 miles
2009: 473.48 miles