In The Long Run

Took today off because my left foot hurt to the point that I couldn't walk normally.  Went to the Yoga Center for an hour and a half of Restorative Yoga. 

Ran the usual Liberty Park run.  The day off and yoga yesterday did wonders for my legs. Muscularly, I felt better than I have in weeks. My hamstrings felt almost normal.   I purchased a pass at the Yoga Center and intend to incorporate the Sunday night Restorative Yoga into the routine.  I may also look into the "Yoga for Stiffer Bodies" on Saturdays.  

Liberty Park. Gloomy day, gloomy run.

Ran a loop of Sugarhouse for a warmup.  Then used the first 3 miles of the SLCTC group run as a tempo run (8:47, 8:33, 8:44).  The goal was 8:45 pace, but I got a little too ambitious on the second mile. It's so much easier to run faster when you have company! Slowed to low 9s for the remainder of the run as a cool down.  

Ran to Sugarhouse, did 3 loops on the grass, ran home.  Overall, this was a pretty nice run and felt much better than last week's 10 miler.  It wasn't the fastest, but I felt pretty good.

I was once again stopped on my run by some random person and asked if I was training for a triathlon.  This is kind of a sore spot for me because it is code for "your legs are huge." Last spring, I was running on the Blue Sky Trail in Fort Collins and a mountain biker asked me what triathlon I was training for.  When I said I was training for the Big Horn 50k, she stared at my legs and said, "oh, I thought you were a cyclist."  This has happened numerous other times over the years. I find it odd because I don't go up to strangers and comment about their body type!   

Easy 4 on the BST with the dog.  Didn't feel that great, actually took a few walking breaks, but it was a beautiful day.  

Ran from home to Sugarhouse.  After a couple loops I meandered up to Skyline High to meet the SLCTC group.  Ran another 6 out and back on Wasatch to hit 17 for the day.  This was pretty hard. It probably didn't help that a big chunk of it was either uphill or into the wind.  But I got it done and I'm happy about that! The first 11 by myself was more enjoyable than I anticipated, and it was nice to have other people to pull me through the last 6.  

I set a goal to run 160 miles this month, and I hit 192.  I'm pleased with that and I think it was my highest mileage month in several years! I hope that by summer I can easily and consistently run 50 mpw and gradually add in more faster running.