Running Again

Went for my first run in 2 weeks after having some king of mutant monster cold that kept getting much worse before it got any better.  I would have gone out with my running group on Saturday but the rain kept me in bed.  After not getting a good nights sleep for almost 3 weeks, I slept in until 4pm after I woke up at 6am and realized it was raining.  It feels great to catch up on much needed sleep that isn't interrupted by frequent coughing.  I headed out late to the trail today and wasn't sure how far I would go.  I managed to about 6 miles until I called it a day.  My body felt fine but my lungs felt like I haven't run in 2 weeks.  With the Shamrock only 2 weeks away, I don't think I have a chance for another PR while I regain my fitness.


Uploading my workout from my Garmin, I discovered yet another cool feature.  You can play your run back.  It's very neat. 

8 Mile

It was an 8 mile training run today and not as much fun as watching the movie by the same name.   I've been sick most of the week which meant no running since the half last weekend.  My calves were super tight and felt like I had telephone poles for legs.  Not much flexing happening in my lower legs at all.  I toughed it out the first mile and then sent my running partner ahead so I could walk it out.  After a mile and a half, I finally loosened up and the 2/2 pace group had caught up with me.  I ran an interval with them (at a 9:40 min/mile pace!) and thought I was going to die.  Since I didn't die as a result of that blistering pace, I went back to my original game plan of 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking.  Felt ok, not great, not bad, just ok for the remainder of the run.  Finished in 1 hour 56 minutes.   Still under a 15 min/mile pace even with walking over a mile.  Definitely progress.  Of course, my entire pace group was gone be the time I returned and my running buddy that I sent ahead was missing!  Turns out she missed the turn around and ran a couple extra miles.  Now that is really impressive!

New PR

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, I completed the 5K at the Davis Stampede.  Today, I completed the half-marathon with a new PR!  I shaved 10 minutes off my best time.  That's incredible.  It's hard to believe.  I just finished my 7th half-marathon since October.  It was great to do it with a friend who paced me the first couple miles until she broke off to finish her 10K.  Thankfully she also "paced" me the last mile.  I say pace because essentially she kept me moving forward.  I was feeling pretty worn out at the end.  My legs and feet felt fine but the energy to move fast had disappeared.  The most amazing thing is that I'm only 15 minutes from my 1999 half-marathon time and back in 1999 I was probably about 70 lbs lighter than I am now.  That's great incentive to figure out a way to drop that extra baggage.  I could be even faster!  New goal: finish under 3 hours in the Shamrock in March.

A Stiff Lesson

A word to the wise...Never go for an eleven mile run very late in the afternoon, come home and shower, eat dinner, watch some tv, and then go to bed.  Not only did I not sleep all that great but I woke up so stiff this morning.  I spent the day hobbling around.  I don't think it was from the run but rather not moving following the run.  Lesson learned.