A clydesdale no more!

Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran a 3 mile tempo run.  Wasn't sure what to expect after Saturday's fiasco.  First quarter was way too fast but settled into a decent pace.  Splits were: 6:23, 6:32, 6:30 (6:28/mile).  Ran 1 easy mile then felt guilty for running such a short tempo run so I ran 1 more mile in 6:30.  It was more work than I would have liked.  Finished with 1 more easy mile.  Hopefully, I will start to feel better as the week goes on.

Total Time: 1:07:45 (7:32/mile)

To change things up, I ran a route that I usually run backwards (in reverse - I wasn't actually running backwards).  It's funny how I never noticed how much downhill I usually have until I had to run it the other way.  To top things off, most of the uphill was into the wind.  I am starting to feel better and was able to pick up the pace towards the end of the run.  I saw the WXHS cross country team out this morning and it got me to pick the pace up a little.

Total Time: 1:50:11 (7:52/mile) 

Recovery run.  Felt good and relaxed.  Temperatures felt a lot cooler which makes running a lot easier.

Total Time: 49:06 (8:11/mile)

I haven't run a lot of hills lately because my tibia has been bothering me.  I worry that excessive downhill running will aggravate it.  I have been feeling better lately so I decided that it would be a good day to run up to Mueller Park canyon.  I'm still running a little slow right now but the run felt good.  The hills weren't as bad as I thought they would be.  Looking back, I really think that the heat and humidity really got to me that last couple of weeks.  It has been a few degrees cooler for a couple of days and I can really feel the difference in my energy level.

Total Time: 1:25:04 (8:06/mile) (46:34 going up/38:30 coming down)

Easy recovery run.  Tibia is burning a little but feel pretty good otherwise.  Form felt in control for the first time in a long time.

Total Time: 49:39 (8:16/mile)

What a difference a week makes.  After last weeks horrible long run I was curious to see how today's run would go.  First mile was a little slow but felt alright.  Once I got warmed up, everything felt pretty good and I was able to run comfortably at a decent pace.  After 3 miles I reached back for my Gatorade and realized that I forgot to put my bottle in my fuel belt.  I really didn't want to go back to get it so I figured that I would just stop at the next convenience store and buy a Gatorade.  Only problem with that was that I was running along Farmington Bay and I knew it would be a few miles until I got back to civilization.  Since the temps were cooler I figured that I would be alright until the 9 mile mark where I thought a store would be.  Once I got out of Farmington Bay and into Farmington there was nothing in site.  I thought I remembered seeing  a park around here last year when I ran this route but I was mistaken.  There was a table set up with water on it for a 5K race that was going on but I didn't feel right about taking anything since I didn't pay for the race.  There was a park about 1 mile away and I decided to hold off until I got there.  In the mean time, I was running really well.  My pace was around 7:30/mile and it felt very easy.  Got to the park and the drinking fountains were turned off (of course).  Finally got to a convenience store at the 13 mile mark and bought a water and Gatorade.  My legs were starting to wear out at that point but they were far from dead.  Next few miles were a little slower because of the leg fatigue but was able to pick the pace back up on the last mile.  I can't believe how much better I feel this week than I did last week.

Total Time: 2:12:08 (7:46/mile)