On Saturday, I had 18 miles. I started before 6:30, so I was really in for a treat: A beautiful sunrise.
I originally planned to run from my house to the canal and back again, but I decided that this was boring. Instead, I ran most of those 18 miles on the road. It was a gorgeous day and I did not want to limit that beauty to the canal.
I did end up running a few miles on the canal about halfway into my run.
I unknowingly turned up the pace for those 3 miles. I went from running 10-11 minute miles (I was walking all hills) to a 8:45-9:00 minute pace. Even when I tried to slow down, I ended up speeding up. The logic was not there.
After about 3 miles on the canal, I returned to the roads. That's when I encountered my new running partner.
I thought it was very fitting that I saw him when I did. It reminded me of the Tortoise and the Hare. It would be these last 5 miles I would need to focus less on pace and more on getting to the finish. Take your time! Conserve energy!
My left thigh started to burn at this point in the run. I was not used to logging high miles on the road. So I made sure that no matter how measly the hills looked, I was still walking them.
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| Trust me...not a measly hill. You can't see it because of the house and trees. |
When I got to mile 17, however, running logic once again disappeared. There was a very gradual hill in a nearby neighborhood. Since I was less than a mile away from home, I figured why not keep running it. Strangely enough, I was running faster up the hill than I was on the flat. In order to actually slow down, I had to walk it.
I finished the entire 18 in under 3 hours. It was no 24 miler, but it sure depleted a good bit of energy. I also got sore pretty quickly after.
The next day, I had a 10 miler on the schedule. I was willing to tone it down to 8 because I was so sore and achy. Eight was the mileage Peter was looking to get in anyway and I figured I wouldn't miss those 2 miles anyway.
We went to the canal and we were immediately greeted with a kickin' breeze. It was SO NICE. The temps were down, it wasn't humid, and the views were to die for.
Suddenly, I was really looking forward to this run, but I still had worry about my foot. I was almost sure it was going to ruin this perfect day.
The first mile was pretty tough. My foot felt really tight so we had to stop to shake it out. I felt my blood immediately circulate to that area and it seemed the troubles subsided after that. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the pain passed from me on to Peter. He started getting stomach cramps that affected his pace.
I ended up running ahead of Peter as a result. I would go about a quarter to a half mile in front and then circle back to meet up and run with him again.
We did stop at the dam together and took a short break.
After, I resumed my circling. I ended up with 10.35 miles by the time we were done the 8 mile course! How's that for going above and beyond of my day's expectations?
I wish Peter's run did go better for him though. We have all been there and have experienced a bad run. I have had a string of them over the past several weeks (darn foot). It was good that I finally got a good one in.
Today, I am taking some rest and may do so again tomorrow. Though the doc said I am allowed to run on my foot, it really sucks. I just want it to get better sooner than later. I do have a 24 miler this weekend that I want to be pain-free for!
Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend and a fabulous Monday!
Tell me about your runs this weekend? What was your mileage? How was the weather? Where did you go?
What percentage of good runs do you have to bad runs? Recently, I am about 50/50 :(
What is your definition of perfect running weather? 40-60 degree temps. A mild breeze. Sunny. A few clouds are fine.
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