A clydesdale no more!

Felt really good this morning.  It was just a general aerobic run but I kept the pace a little faster than I normally do.  My upper legs were a little sore but felt really good otherwise.

Started out a little early so I could get the extra miles in this morning and walked out the door to an amazing sunrise.  What a great way to start the day.  I'm finally getting back to the point where I can turn on the auto pilot and get through these longer runs without too much trouble.  Started out at 8:00/mile pace and gradually moved to 7:30/mile.  I didn't eat enough yesterday so running by Dick's bakery was sheer torture.  With 1/4 mile to go, my lap pace was 7:18 and I wanted to see if I could get it down to 7:05 so I started to push it a little.  Finished it in 7:05:82.

Super easy recovery run.  What I feared was a hernia a few months ago I think is just a strained groin.  It started really bothering me yesterday and it hurt most of the run.  Hopefully it will not get any worse than it is now.  I lucked out with the weather.  The rain stopped as I started the run and did not start again until I finished.  I must be doing something right.

I had a difficult time sleeping last night.  The plan called for 12 miles but I knew that wasn't going to happen.  Whenever I cut runs short, I try to add hills tricking myself into thinking that the extra effort makes up for the missed mileage.  I ran the Davis Blvd loop and felt alright once I got warmed up.  I didn't feel as good as I would have liked but it wasn't as bad as I feared.  The groin is only mildly sore so I think that it is going to be one of those nagging things that I can keep in check.

Recovery run.  A lot of weird aches and pains in my legs.  Nothing serious - just annoying.

I got a good night's sleep in a nice comfortable bed last night (that's for all of you running WBR).  Woke up and decided that I didn't want to meet the club this morning since most would be running the relay anyways.  Ran to the LPT then followed the trail to the end.  It started to get a little warm on the way out but at the turnaround the sun snuck behind the clouds and it felt really good (except for the slight headwind). The trail is only 12.5 miles long which is a little shorter than I thought.  I have now run the entire trail and all of the mile markers are right on except 4.5-5 and 10-10.5.  Started to wear out with 4 miles to go when I ran out of Gatorade.  Considered going to the convenience store for a refill but decided it would be good practice to run with less fuel.  Felt decent the rest of the way but had a hard time holding the pace for the last mile.