Back in the saddle?

Today I did 4 miles on the treadmill.  It's mid-September and still 105 degrees outside!  I felt OK but kind of lethargic.  I was wondering why, and then I realized that I hadn't eaten in almost 5 hours!  I also had just been to the dentist and had a fluoride treatment where you can't drink water for a while, so I was probably a little dehydrated too.  I ended up cutting the run a little short.  I ran a 9:05 pace.  I'm glad I cut it short because I'm going to run tomorrow morning, and I want my legs to feel fresh.

I bought new shoes, my first pair of Asics, the other day.  Today was my first run in the new shoes.  I've been getting blisters lately, and I thought it was the shoes.  But I got them today too!  I just need to break down and buy enough cool-max socks to last all week.  They're expensive!  Not as much as the $100 running shoes, but still!  I like the shoes, though.

7 miles, yeah!  I don't know what got into me, but it was good!  I ran a 9:05 pace on the treadmill to finish in 1:03:45.  I felt great the entire time, and my heart rate stayed low.  I was well hydrated and had eaten well throughout the day, and my mp3 player was playing good music.  I love runs like this-they make my day!

Tonight I ran outside.  I just checked the weather, and it said it was 99 degrees, but it felt cooler.  Or maybe my body is actually getting used to the heat, just in time for it to cool down!  Anyway, I did an easy recovery run.  It was good but a little scary in the dark.  The path is a dirt path, and it's pretty bumpy.  I had to rely on the cars driving by to illuminate it.  Hopefully I'll get a headlamp for my birthday.  If not, I'm going to buy one.  I twisted my ankle badly several years ago running in the dark (6 weeks before my first marathon, which I couldn't do because of the ankle), so I'm very careful about it now.

Good run, overall.

I did 10 miles on the canal this morning with my normal group, although I ended up running alone most of the time.  The rest of the group is faster than me right now.  I started out with a friend doing about a 9:15 pace, and I felt like I was going WAY too fast, so I dropped back.  I met up with the group a little before mile 4.  They turned around, so I met up with some other people who I ran with until my turnaround at mile 5.  They were running 20 miles, and I think we were doing well over 10-minute miles.  I hit 5.1 miles right at 50 minutes, so my splits for the first half were about 10 minute miles overall. 

I felt a little better on the way back and decided to pick up the pace.  I ran the second half in 47:30 (9:30 pace), and I'm glad I was able to speed it up.  There were SO many people out there by then, which translates to a lot more water and Gatorade stops.  I was glad for all the Gatorade, because I didn't have any Gu today.

I feel good, but I need to get my long run pace down to 9:00 miles.  I'm confused about my slow pace today, especially since I did 7 miles the other night at 9:05 pace with no problem.  I felt fine today, but I just couldn't go any faster.  But, I've starting my marathon training a full month earlier this year, so hopefully I'll be up to speed in a couple of weeks.

I have a 5K tomorrow morning!  I've helped organize the race, and I'll run it if my legs feel fresh.  Actually, I plan on jogging it as a recovery run.  BUT, we'll see what happens when I actually get out there.  I won an age group prize last year, so my competitive juices might get flowing once I'm at the starting line!