The Evil Pumpkin

Today was an ideal morning to give my first long run since the marathon a try. It was an extremely cool and crisp sunny morning and there was a very light breeze blowing. Pretty much perfect conditons for me. After having two successful five mile runs over the weekend with days off in between, I was getting a little antsy to try something a little more substantial. My legs have been feeling good so why not give it a try... that and the fact that I was feeling a little guilty for eating a bunch of candy at work yesterday. One of our audio engineers at the tv station by the name of Pete has a tradition where a couple weeks prior to Halloween, he brings in an orange plastic pumpkin filled with candy, and he keeps refilling it every time it gets low. It's a very "evil pumpkin". It beckons your name as you walk by it, pleading with you just to take a piece of candy or two. I most certainly don't have as much restraint as I did last year. Last year at this time, I was in the middle of my "denial diet" where I swore off candy, ice cream, and any and all in between snacks in order to lose some excess weight. I really had no trouble last year warding off the pleas of the "evil pumpkin," and before I knew it, Halloween had come and gone without me giving in. This year is much different, though. I'm in great shape and don't have anymore weight to lose, so as I told Pete the engineer, I'm making up for last year... and boy am I making up. I must have really pissed that pumpkin off from last year with my "Just Say NO" attitude because this year the jolly 'ol jack-o-lantern is constantly tempting me with sugar fixes, and this time I'm not saying no. No wonder that stupid pumpkin is always smiling. The bad part is he'll be smiling for quite some time since there are still 10 days left til Halloween. I guess I'll have to practice temperance. With that, this mornings 11 mile jaunt was just the thing I needed... a little penance for all the sugary treats I ate yesterday. On the good side, maybe all that sugar gave me a little boost this morning because my legs were feeling good. For only doing a marathon a little over a week ago, my legs felt pretty fresh and fluid. I circled Lake Monona in around an hour and twenty-four minutes and thus felt very optimistic and confident that I should be able to run a nice race in Sunday's upcoming Fall 15k. Perhaps another PR?... who knows. Maybe I'll bring the "evil pumpkin" with me for some added motivation... nah, he can stay right where he's at. I won't need any candy on Sunday. I did have some more today, though... big surprise, huh?

Today's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:24:14 > 7:35 pace

Miles this week: 11.1