Long Run and Oscar the Grouch

Woo Hoo!  Today Oscar the Grouch stars on Google.

I've surfed looking for more Google headers and learned they are called doodles and Google has a site with all the logo's.  There are many doodles for other countries that are really cool and you can check them out here http://www.google.com/logos/

Today is John's birthday and he specifically asked for "Better than Sex" cake.  In order for the cake to cool, I made it before my long run.  This is the best cake and I'll try and refrain from eating too many pieces.  We need to find someone to help eat it with us. Here are the ingredients...cake, sweetened condensed milk, caramel and hot fudge poured over the cake, covered with cool whip (I used lite!!) and topped with crushed Heath Cliff bars.  There are 1000 calories just looking at it.  For his birthday I bought him a water pump for backpacking (which we get to try out next week in the canyon) and books.  The books are homer gifts.  3 of the 4 books are running books and I'll probably read them before he does. Speaking of gifts, for Christmas with his family we are doing a gift exchange and names were drawn.  I need to provide a list of stuff I'd like.  Exactly zero items are on my list so far.  I don't need anything and don't know what to put down.


What should I put on the list?  If you had to make a list, what would be on it?

After taking the cake out the oven I headed out for my 12 mile run.  I had 14 on the schedule but changed it to 12 since I have a double header race tomorrow and my mileage for the week will already be up there.  The double header is a 5K and a 10K and I have no idea what pace to go for.  I thought about it a lot on my long run but didn't come to any conclusions because basically I don't feel I'm in shape to be racing. The whole run today I felt like I was bypassing my current cardio abilities and physical abilities.  I keep telling myself this is how I improve and it will eventually get easier.  I really feel like each increase in miles is the first time I'm running that distance. Here are my splits:
8:45 (gp)
8:46 (gp)
9:03 (I think this is where there was construction)
8:50
8:55 (yeah, getting slower)
9:04(and slower.  there is a water stop in here but I stopped my watch)
8:51
8:56
8:53
8:39(below gp after 10-15 minute talk break)
8:40(below gp)
8:33 (below gp)

Although I struggled through the pace and miles, my pacing really was pretty good.  I'm sure on one of my runs it will "click" and I'll gain my confidence, endurance and speed back.  Next weekend I'm in the Grand Canyon so I will have a recovery week and no long run (but I will be hiking between 8-16 miles a day)