The Return of Ray

Last night I did an 8 mile run on the treadmill. I did the first four miles at 9:00 minute miles and the last 4 at 9:40 minute miles. I kept the incline at 1 percent to more closely simulate actual running conditions.

Everything about the run felt good. I ran it a little faster than my normal pace, but it seemed like I had just enough strength to keep going. Although I did take 1 minute breaks after mile 4 and 7. I felt tired the rest of the night. But it was a 'good tired' and made me realize I had worked out just the right amount. I've got a little soreness today, but nothing serious.

Tonight I'm thinking about a 7 mile run. I'm not sure how my body will react to 15 miles over 2 days, but it's going to have to get used to getting pushed a little more. Tomorrow is a rest day before the Saturday long run. I'm flying to Las Vegas tomorrow for work. I hope there is some place to run near The Strip. I hope running in hotter weather will go ok.

I had some slides made into jpg files for the History section of our company web site. One of the photos made me laugh. It was a picture of Ray, a former mechanic in one of our garages. Ray was a great guy. Always had a smile on his face, always had a positive disposition. And he was somewhat dim whitted, which made you like him even more. In the picture, Ray is hard at work with a huge smile on his face.

When I saw the picture it made me luagh and remember Ray. I knew I had to share it with the manager of the fleet. He and I have told Ray stories and enjoyed remembering his antics. Instead of just emailing the picture to the fleet manager, I went to his office after he had gone home and set his wallpaper to be 'Smiling Ray'. I'll leave for Las Vegas tomorrow so I won't hear about it until I get back. I wonder if the fleet manager will figure out it was me? I'm sure he'll be up for a few laughs and a few more Ray stories when I return.