A clydesdale no more!

Finally back from San Diego and it was tough to go from partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 70's to 20 degrees and smoggy.  Didn't get back until after midnight but I had to get out to make sure that I still knew how to run.  I'm not sure that I have taken this much time off since I started running.  My hamstrings are still sore but everything else felt really good.  My lungs have finally cleared and they didn't even feel like they were working during the run.  I've decided that it is now time for me to start training again.  I don't have any races planned but want to get back into the shape that I was in last year.

The trip was great.  The only bad part was seeing all of the people running while I was playing with the kids on the beach.  The weather was amazing and would have been perfect for running.  The kids had a ton of fun but I'm sure will have a tough time going back to school today.

Ran the first 3 miles at an easy pace then decided to run a few quicker paced miles just to start exposing my legs to faster running again.  I've been running everything at the same pace for a few months so I was curious to see how the faster pace felt.  The next 3 miles were 6:38, 6:35 and 6:35.  The pace was never comfortable but it wasn't as difficult as I expected.  The last mile felt especially clunky but I think that it shouldn't take too much work to get back to where I want to be.  (I just re-read my post and realized that it didn't make very much sense.  I guess the bad air made my brain malfunction.)

A nice run on a rainy January morning.  Isn't it supposed to be snowing this time of year (not that I'm complaining)?  My shoes have exceeded their mileage limit and I am starting to feel it in my lower legs.

Drove to the rec center and got in 4 miles before the running club showed up.  The temperature was perfect but it started to rain a little towards the end of the 4 miles.  It actually felt really good.  Ran 6 more miles with the club (Jim and Trevor) and we kept the pace pretty easy.  The pace did start to quicken for a couple of miles but we slowed down again for the last 2.  Felt alright during the run although I think that 7:30 pace should be more comfortable than it is right now.  Have I really lost that much fitness?