Best! Run! Ever!

Today the plan was to finish up the week with a four and a half mile run to wrap things up with 43 miles logged for the week of December 15 thru 21. But a funny thing happened –today’s run turned out to be one of the best runs I’ve ever had! What’s that word? Synchronicity? I think that word describes it best. Everything just fell together for a fantastic run. Four and a half miles at a 9:10 pace and that’s a good tempo workout for me.

Now that the run is over and I’ve showered and had a post run snack I’ve been thinking about this run to see what made it so good. I’ve come up with four main ideas:

1. The temperature. During today’s run the temperature was in the high twenties with just a slight breeze.

2. I ran later in the day for a Sunday than usual –after downing a pot of hot coffee and not before.

3. I took about a thirty minute cat nap prior to this run.

4. and last but not least: for some time now (in fact for a year) I’ve felt, I don’t know how to describe it really, but funny concerning my left leg –it’s felt tight or weird or something. So I’ve had this suspicion that maybe my left leg is a tiny bit shorter (?) than my right, somehow “out of balance.” So today I made a little home made “orthotic” out of a paper towel and put it in my left shoe. And viola! Through this run my left leg felt…perfect!

So hopefully I’ve learned a trick or two with this run and can replicate it again in the future. If not…oh well. You can’t have sunshine every day in life, you know. : )

Things are looking up

Just got back in from a good thirteen and a half mile run that took me way out of the city limits and back. Ran it at a respectable (for me) easy pace of 10:38 to the mile. Maybe I'm finally getting my mojo back!

Dismal 12 miler.

Just got back from an unpleasant 12 miler. Felt tired, sore, and extremely unmotivated but did manage to eek along at a 11:29 pace (which is about a minute slower than I usually run my long runs). I guess I hafta admit: today I jogged. But! At least I got all my miles in. Forty one miles this week and next week is a cutback week. I'm ready for the break.

A Long Week

A long week miles put in that is -or at least so for me. After tomorrows planned on 12 miler this will be a 41 mile week. I hope I can make it through those 12 miles tomorrow as I have a back pain issue that flared up after today's 5 miler going on right now.

We'll see...

Me and my Beard

Gah! I look like a thug and a criminal. I guess I oughta since I DO work in a jail! But at least the beard keeps me a little warmer on these cold morning runs. And looking a little on the mean 'n ornery side can have it's advantages too ; )

Nothing New

Nothing new going on. Have logged two back to back days of 6 mile runs at close to a 10:00 pace. The cold weather seems to help.

November's Done

...and I have logged a total of 154 miles for it with this morning's cool and breezy 12 miler at a 10:35 pace. Initially this morning the LAST thing I wanted to do was roll out of bed and go run 12 miles but once I got up and out there (especially when I left the city limits) it wasn't so bad. Funny thing, but it never is. I guess it's true that the the first step is always the hardest.