NO LONGER A TEN

Numbers are important to me. So it is with happiness that I announce that I am no longer a 10!!!!

Though I've been a 10 on several occasions, it never lasts for long. This time was similarly brief...3 days.

A 10 is what I become when recovering from injury. I run slowly, a 10 minute per mile pace, to lower the risk of reinjury. So in my Thursday (10:36), Saturday (10:15) and Sunday (10:02) jogs I was a 10 plus. But, as you can see, my pace came down, as did my heart rate, each time. Though I was a 10, I was an IMPROVING 10. In addition, with less and less pressure on the injured area each time, my confidence was similarly improving.

So today (Tuesday) I went out (well, actually in, to the health club's tread mill...too frosty outside) and ran and found that I am a 10 no more! My pace picked up nicely to 9:38 per mile for 5 miles. And my heart rate improved as well. I'm back on the road.

And so I can now say: "Today I am a Nine." With even better numbers, hopefully, in store.