Karen and I attended the play "The Foreigner" at the Hale Center Theater Orem last night with Larry and Jolene. The playbill had information about the Hale Freezes Over 5K and 10K. I think I may have run it tomorrow if we didn't have a family conflict. I knew I was in no shape to race a 10K, but I was curious about how I would do. So, as I started my run this morning, since no one else could make it and I was alone, I decided to run the normal (6 mile) Lindon loop and tack on an extra 0.2 miles and run my own 10K. I was curious to see if I could hold good running form (good for me anyway) for that long without too much of a drop off at the end. It as much a test of my mental fitness as my cardiovascular and muscular fitness. My mile splits were: 8:42, 9:04, 8:28, 9:25, 9:34, 9:14 and 8:17/mi for the last 0.2. I feel pretty good about how I did mentally. I maintained pretty consistent form and effort. You can pretty much tell where the uphill and downhill was by the changes in pace, although there was some slight slowing in the last couple of miles as fatigue set in. A 56:06 10K. It's at least a couple of minutes per mile slower than past years, but it's way faster than walking...or limping...or rocking in a chair. I've got a few minor aches and pains, but overall I'm feeling pretty good. I think things are still headed in a good direction. | 