1.00 miles in 8:42

i awoke to the sound of rain pouring down and thunder. it sounded so strange. it's been forever since i've heard either. it was nice, sort of cleansing, hopeful. i pulled on my shoes and shorts. i grabbed my tunes and headed for the dungeon for a little torture session on the dreadmill. the suffering i underwent seemed an appropriate tribute to michelle and her just gone mom. i warmed up for about a minute at around 10:00 pace, the incline set at 3%. i then bumped it up a bit to an 8:34 pace for another minute. after this brief acclamitization, the real work began. i hit the afterburners and went to 7:30 pace for 30 seconds. i dropped back to 8:34 for 30 seconds and then repeated two or three more times - 30 seconds fast, 30 recovery. just before i hit the one-mile mark, i really cranked up the suffering and ran 30 seconds at 6:40 pace. my feet were flying, my lungs screaming, my heart rejoicing at the challenge. that done, i dropped to 8:34 pace again. i ran for a little while at this cool down pace and then slowed even more. i was "running" at 12:00 pace when the 1.0 rolled over and i hit stop. i gave 8:42 in honor of a friend's loss. it was the least i could do. God bless michelle!