I Love You Guys

Linear Trail: Temperature 74 degrees. Splits 9:43; 9:51; 9:53; 10:25; 9:55; 10:03; 9:58; 10:07; 9:58; 9:50; 4:39; 1:44:22 total for 10.5 miles; 9:56 per mile pace.

WOW! I didn't expect the support that I received after my post on Thursday. Thank-you so much for your words of encouragement. I'm probably going to join Team Autism Speaks and raise the $2600 needed to be on the team. The scary part about joining is this:
"On August 17th I am expected to have $1,300 raised. If I have not raised $1,300, I authorize Autism Speaks to charge my credit card for the difference between $1,300 and the amount I raised. On October 17th I am expected to have raised the minimum of $2,600. If I have not raised $2,600, I authorize Autism Speaks to charge my credit card for the difference between $2,600 and the amount I raised. All accounts must have reached the minimum, $2600, the day prior to the race, October 31st." I have a few contacts at work that may be able to help me with the $2600. My goal is to not only enter the NY City Marathon and support "Team Autism Speaks," but also to then have people pledge $$ per miles that I run in the marathon, and give the proceeds from that to ASCONN, which is the Autism Society of Connecticut. So it's a win-win situation.
Perfect day to run. Since I had a 10 miler scheduled, and had too much fun yesterday at Happy Hour, I decided to run the linear trail. I did learn something about drinking and running. The last time I had too much fun at Happy Hour, I was punished with Sam Adams beer burps as I ran the next day. My beer of choice yesterday was Guinness, and guess what? No beer burps! So, now I know to drink Guinness beer if I'm going to be running within 24 hours. I guess that's one tip you're all writing down right now, especially you Irish Creme. I must once again comment on how much I like Jeff Galloway's marathon training plan. Today I was scheduled to run either 9 or 10 miles, at a pace of about 10 minutes per mile, and take walk breaks every 4 to 6 minutes. I tweaked it so that I ran for a mile, and walked for a minute for the entire 10.5 miles. Even by walking, I still averaged a 9:56 per mile pace. As I did my last long run a week ago, I felt great the entire time. I tried the Blueberry Pomegranate GU Chomps that Lindsay recommended, taking one every 20 minutes. They taste great, and I believe they helped. Also, I've always used "Hammer" products, and today I had a Hammer gel prior to running, and also drank the Hammer Heed while I was running. If you're interested in trying Hammer products, click on the link in my blog. As I said a week ago, it's a "win-win" situation, since you save 15% off your first order, and I get a 25% credit in my account for whatever you order. Please use referral number 128750. Thanks in advance if you order!
Tomorrow I won't be running. Instead I'll be riding my bike for 25 miles, in support of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I was able to raise $225 for MS. Oh, and I'll also be catching up on all your blogs.