Week of Firsts

Ran a half last week, ran 65+ last week, ran 22 in a day last week. A lovely week of firsts. I imagine that the end of the long run was as marathon specific training as I will get. It hurt. The next day, today, hurt too.

I had the best company on the best route with the best weather I could imagine for the long run. If those were the typical circumstances 22 would come easy.

My legs are sore, and need a rest. Get to take one, too. I'll be sleeping until ants crawl up my pants, then I'll be hitting pavement.

See you on the road,

-- Douglas

My First Half

Yesterday was one of those fall days that are magic in Central Park. Things hum a bit. Grete Waitz said some nice words from the podium before the race. Grete Waitz, I said! Sometimes I forget the legacy that I'm part of, as a New York Road Runner (if you prefer the lower-case version, that's cool, too).

I had some moments during the race where I felt loose and strong, and was able to enjoy the run. I had other moments, too. One involved a port-a-potty, and isn't fit for print.

Today I got out and turned my legs over for a few miles and felt less terrible than I expected to. Some people use a half marathon as a predictor for the marathon. I predict that November 7th won't be boring.

See you on the road,

-- Douglas

"Looking good! Like a wet rat, but good!"

Words of encouragement from K. last night as I finished up the final mile of a four mile progression run (start slow, build speed in the middle, finish fast). I did a super easy three for warm up, and a super easy one for cool down. Two months ago eight was a recovery run, two weeks ago it was a dream. Funny how it goes.

I feel good, and hope that with a couple of rest days and yoga under my belt I'll be ready for a run uptown under a canopy of live oak on St. Charles Avenue while we're in NOLA.

And when I get back, I start a job, wheee! I see bridges in my future.

Easy six

And I ran, I ran so far away. Hot damn last night felt right, and today I feel good. Because things felt so good I picked it up a bit on the last two. Oh, running. How have I missed you?

Cautiously optimistic

A. and I ran one mile today, and ran it slow¹. It was a lovely run, I feel good some hours later. I hope that this good feeling continues, and that Tuesday I get to try for two slow miles.

1. Seriously, A. and I ran slow, together. You may not comprehend the restraint that showed, but it stands out to me. Also, Garner agrees that using the adverbial form of slow is acceptable.

Looking forward to Sunday

A. and I are going to run for one (1!) easy mile on Sunday. Sunday Funday Runday redux. A one mile week is a slightly different goal than some of my previous running goals, but I've learned something while I've limped along these past weeks.

I love to run. I would rather run slow, low-mileage for a long contiguous chunk of time than fast, high-mileage intermittently.

I'm sure I'll forget that at some point, but for now it's on my mind.

My dawgs are barkin'

Shins are fucked up good
frustrating me to no end.
When can I next run?

Wheee, self-pity haiku! My right shin went from "I can notice that just a little bit after a hard run" to "ouch, it hurts to walk". Time to back off, in a big way. I didn't notice it at all until I took a long rest over Christmas, and a fairly easy first week back. I've obviously been pushing myself, but thought I was resting enough, and thought Christmas break was going to be enough to repair. Clearly I was wrong. It will be interesting to watch what happens with more rest, and more yoga.