A clydesdale no more!

Saturday's run did a little more damage than I thought.  I strained my calf while hurtling the snow banks.  It isn't horrible but it was talking to me during the entire run.  Because of the warmer temps yesterday and freezing temps this morning the roads were very icy.  Even though it felt like I was ice skating half the time, I decided to push the pace a little this morning.  After warming up after 3 miles I ran the next 4 miles at 6:45/mile.  I know that this is "junk mile" pace but I am starting to get tire of running the same pace all the time and didn't feel like the conditions were good enough for a true tempo run.

Total Time: 1:03:00 (7:00/mile)
 

Really couldn't get my legs to get going this morning.  I ran a route where the snow wasn't cleared from the sidewalks and the road was too narrow and busy to run on in some spots.  Because of this, the footing was really poor and I couldn't get into a groove even if I wanted to.  The last couple of miles were better.  I was just glad to get in the mileage this morning.  

Total Time: 1:10:52 (7:53/mile) 

Another one of those "just survive" runs.  It was snowing, windy, slippery and slushy but other than that it was a good run.  I ran the same route on Monday and this run took 10 minutes longer.  I guess there are only a few days each year like this so I shouldn't complain so much.

Total Time: 1:13:04 (8:07/mile)

I haven't been putting in the effort that I should be so I ran up to Mueller Park canyon for a good hilly run.  My hamstrings have been really tight and my legs really weren't responding the way I would have liked them to.  The effort felt good but my stride didn't feel very smooth.  My wife is going out of town for the next week so my running route is going to the neighborhood loop.  Hopefully, I will be able to get in the mileage that I need.

I was confined to the neighborhood loop this morning.  It is a 1.4 mile loop with a 100 yard climb and descent in the middle.  I did 5 laps then finished with 2 laps on the inside loop (1/2 mile each).  The ground was lightly dusted with snow and I noticed some odd things about my foot prints.  My right and left foot land in a perfectly straight line.  I'm not sure if this is normal.  I also noticed that a couple of the laps, my feet were hitting in the exact same spot.  I guess that this is a good thing since it means that I'm able to maintain a consistent stride.

 Total Time: 59:00 (7:23/mile)

Eleven laps around the neighborhood.  The first few were alright then I started to get bored.  The short climb on each loop got progressively harder.  I might need to run hills on the back end of my runs to get more used to running uphill on tired legs.  My runs are usually front loaded with hills so I hit them when I am fresh.  My left hamstring was bothering me most of the run but feels fine now so I'm not too concerned about it.