THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

1:14:56/8:15 pace. Surprisingly, no soreness from Saturday's race today, although I could feel it a bit in my quads yesterday.  Weird.  Usually I feel it more in my hamstrings.  Pace felt super-easy today.  Paid for my Easter sins in a little weight(they were fantastic cadbury cream egg, margarita, chips and queso, and cake sins).  I will be good all week and it should go away!  Had a boiled egg, milk, and a few pieces of my homemade whole grain banana bread.  I made it with ground wheatberries, amaranth, rolled oats, brown sugar, and olive oil, so it counts as pretty healthy I think.  Not nearly as grainy as I thought it would be.  

1:10:50/8:42 pace.  Took it easy today.  Feeling some little nagging aches and pains--the ones I get when it is time for new shoes.  I ordered them yesterday so hopefully they get here within the week.  This will be a long week--I have clinicals this weekend.  Yuck.

1:20:44/8:53 pace.  Took the pace really easy today as suggested by Eric and Camille.  No nagging aches and pains like I had yesterday but it is good to be cautious.  I also took 800mg of motrin before bed last night as a precaution.  Yesterday I was running on asphalt and today I ran on dirt and I think that makes a big difference..  My joints like dirt much better!  I am so glad that nothing hurt today and all was well.  It was gorgeous running weather--fifty degrees, nice cooling breeze, and sunny.   Very enjoyable run!

1:12:31/8:29 pace.  I really meant to take it super easy today, but when I was close to the one west mile mark running e getting ready to turn down goldenrod I saw something I have never seen out here on the dirt roads--ANOTHER RUNNER.  He was running east and turned before I did.  Naturally I picked it up and caught him.  He looked very young, maybe 20 and I introduced myself and told him I had never seen another runner out here.  He didn't have much to say so I passed him and moved along.  About 1/2 mile later he comes huffing and puffing past me, gaps me, and then slows down.  I am quickly reeling him in when he disappears down a driveway and I don't see him again.  Check out the way he was dressed--keep in mind it is almost 60 degrees and sunny--downright hot for me.  He is wearing long basketball shorts, some kind of t-shirt with a long-sleeve flannel shirt over it(unbuttoned and flapping in the breeze) and a stocking cap.  I'll be surprised if I ever see him again.

Oh yeah, yesterday I signed for an all women's 5K on the 25th.  There are usually well over 1,000 participants and apparently they have an awesome awards ceremony and it is a really neat event.  I haven't been in a 5K since my first one ever in October which was 24:50--the first half of my 10K last week was 22:13 so I guest that would be my pr.  I'll probably shoot for a 21:30? I dunno I'm thinking maybe I will experiment a little bit--try going out at a suicidal pace and see what happens?  Or start conservative and then take off?

1:18:03/8:36 pace.  I really thought I was holding the reigns in and was running really easy.  Got my new shoes this morning and I could tell the difference immediately in my run.  Old ones only have 333 miles on them and they are not so hot.  I either need to find higher quality shoes and pay a little more if they last longer, or I need to find cheaper ones that work if I am going to replace them every two months.  These shoes are sooo comfortable though!(for about 300 miles) Did 2 sets of strength drills afterward.

8 loops at 4am at a trotting 8:57 pace.  Now I am drinking my morning coffee and will be off to clinicals shortly.  Did a little barefoot(okay sockfoot--I'm a wimp) running in the pasture yesterday.  Felt good, very light and not a pounding sensation at all.  I really liked it.  My husband is going to mow me a nice path that will be rock, stick, and sticker free so I can do more little barefoot runs.  Should help with injury resistance!