Objective: Endurance w/ hills & variable speeds. Second week of recovery.
Weather: 40s into 50s F, calm, mostly cloudy firt 12 miles w/ patchy fog, then sunny last 4 miles. The fall colors have become even more beautiful since I last ran in daylight a week ago. A lovely morning.
This was a run with lots of highs and lows. My original plan was to run 3-4 miles easy, then do 10-12 miles at MP+30-40 seconds, and a few miles slowly at the end to cool down. During the warm up it became clear that if I went through with that plan I was not going to last 16 miles, which was my priority. The energy just wasn't there. So, it was on to plan B! Hills, hills, hills, but whatever pace(s) felt tolerable. I went to all the hilly places (Heights, Bandera/Palisades, Deer Park) and ended up doing a few miles here and there at the pace I originally planned for this run, MP+30-40 sec. At other times, I felt the lows of fatigue and my lingering cold, and slowed significantly. During a relatively flat half mile, I got in that bit of MP running; I just felt like it, so I did it. I am thinking of all my friends who are running races this weekend. Best wishes and I hope your runs go well.
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