Indy Run #2 (May 23rd)

Of course today was another interesting run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I started off with a goal to run around the outside of the track. I knew this would be tough since there isn't a clear cut way around the backstretch. I didn't complete the run in its entirety, but I surprised myself with how much I did accomplish.

Even though I didn't complete the full lap, I still managed to run about somewhere between 3 and 3.5 miles. Even though it was still in the 80s today, the start wasn't nearly as bad. It was hot, but most of the front straightaway bleachers covered me in the first half of the run. That combined with a nice breeze made for an excellent start.

After going past turn two and into the backstretch, I encountered the expected problem of no direct route around the back of the track. I made a left at the first road I could. That took me through a neighborhood before hitting a dead end. I had to go further around the track then. After running through a shopping center parking lot, I decided to give up. I thought I was closer to the track than I actually was.

I had about a mile walk back from my stopping point. That was difficult in the blazing sun after a long run. The heat wasn't a problem early on, but really took its toll in the later portion of the run. It was also tricky today because I ran on many different surfaces. I started off on smooth sidewalk. I ran some on the grass. I also went over some deteriorated asphalt in the neighborhood behind the speedway. My knee was sore at times, but it is definitely getting stronger.

I didn't complete the goal set run, but that's mainly because I didn't really know where I was going. Today was definitely one of my furthest runs to date. All that and it was one of hottest days I've run too. I'm really starting to make progress. Taking a day off in between runs was a big help this weekend too.

Tomorrow is race day and then we're traveling back home. It's likely that that will be another rest day. On Monday, I'll be back at my parents house. The goal is to attempt to run the old 4 mile loop that I used to do in HS and early college years. That'll be a challenge though because there are more hills back there than I'm used to. I'm looking forward to it though. Of course, I'm much more excited about the race tomorrow though.