Hold Back The Rain

"Yes we're miles away from nowhere and the wind doesn't have a name so call it what you want to call it still blows down the lane
People tell me I haven't changed at all but I still feel the same and I bet you've had that feeling too you can't laugh all the time
And if the fires burn out there's only fire to blame(hold back the rain)no time for worry cause we ride the outside lane(hold back the rain)
The clouds all scatter and we ride the outside lane(hold back the rain)not on your own so help me please hold back the rain"

Hold Back The Rain-Duran Duran
Yeah,yeah,yeah another Duran Duran reference but it was them or Milli Vanilli and "Blame It On The Rain" and frankly that shit ain't happening!!!
I was disappointed to miss yesterdays 12 miler but from the time I woke up (9am) till late afternoon (5pm) it was pissing down,I can hack running in the rain IF I've started my run but there's something about trying to run when it is chucking it down that I just can't handle,I'm not going to beat myself up over missing a run,trust me there are plenty of people out there who'll do it for me but the fact is over the coming weeks and months there will be beaucoup Sunday 12 milers and 50/60 mile weeks so chalk this one up as a loss and move on.
In lieu of my run I did get some much needed rnr,I went into the weekend saying I was in need of some rest and I got it.

Glass half full off an unscheduled day off I felt I could "go after it today" on my 8 miler,after 7 easy 8 milers since returning from Nationals 2 weeks ago it was time to amp up the 8 miler once a week and "give it some welly"....frankly at lunchtime when the heavens opened again I thought I'd be wearing wellies to run but sweet and merciful Jesus it stopped raining and I was able to get my run in.
I figured 50 mins was a reasonable target time 6.15 mile pace,a far cry from the 7.30 pace I was cranking out at the end of May.
My unofficial splits were 3.44{Cedar & Cobbs}9.00{Baltimore Ave}14.00{Whitby Ave} and 24.38 at the turnaround,49.16 pace.
I was feeling good and providing I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew I felt confident that sub 50 was on.
36.00 at Whitby,41.52 at Baltimore and 46.37 at Cobbs & Cedar I still had juice at the finish even if it wasn't a negative split 24.38-25.08 but it was sub 50, 49.46.1.

Over the coming weeks once a week I'll have a crack at continuing to lower that time,my plan is Tuesdays hard 8,Thursdays hill repeats,Saturdays 3x2 mile repeats.
One final foot note,yesterday was my 23rd sober anniversary,I don't like to brake my hand patting myself on my back but having spent so much of my life as a drunk prior to Aug 14th 1988 the fact I've been able to stay sober one day at a time for the past 23 years is a fate acompli and even thought I toyed w/ the thought that due to my low iron levels maybe I could drink Guinness on a medicinal level in recent months since I was diagnosed w/ a mild form of anemia I know that's my illness and disease and addiction talking to me,even after 23 years I'm not off the hook yet....I'll stick to the iron pills once a day and remain sober one day at a time.