Exhilarating Run

Today, I planned a good seven mile run along Kelly Drive. Things didn't go as planned, but it wound up being my best workout in 9 years. The trouble started when I got to Lloyd Hall and the bathrooms were locked. I didn't have go immediately, so I ran to the next port-a-john.

This allowed me the opportunity to go out much harder than I otherwise would've. I started just behind a fast women and followed her through this portion of the run. I didn't want to push to try to catch up so early on though. My legs felt amazingly fast, possibly from the hill sprints the day before.

Right before the bathroom, I caught a slow runner. I went to the bathroom, but it had no lock. I decided to run to the next one which was near the grandstands. This allowed me to once again kick it into high gear. I felt so strong and was amazed. Even the short break was a big help.

I stopped and the next bathroom and finally had success. Right as I stepped out, the slow runner I had passed earlier had now caught up. I quickly passed him and was disappointed when I found the fast women stretching up ahead. I wanted to try to catch her.

I didn't feel anywhere near as good after the break as I had before it. I powered along though and continued to stay relaxed and tried to keep my form good. I worked harder as I got to the turnaround point, knowing that I'd relax after that point. To my surprise, I hit the turnaround at a blazing pace. Obviously the resting portions of the workout helped me stay strong.

After the turnaround, I started to feel very sluggish though. I knew I'd make it back, but would be sputtering along as I finish. I decided after about half a mile that I would take a two minute walk break to recover. My legs were feeling it when I did this. I blame the hill sprints for my early leg strength and also for being dead at this point.

The walk break didn't fully recover my legs, but it was a relief as I began to step my run up a notch. I knew it would be a long road back if I didn't concentrate on segments. I first focused on making it to the St. Joe's Prep rowhouse. After going hard and making it there, I set my sights on the grandstand. Following that, I concentrated on the gravel path and then finally boathouse row.

My legs were hurting a little and my breathing was hard, but this segmental approach was a huge help to keep going strong. I had a side stitch just after the turnaround, but I held it off through the last couple miles.

On the gravel path, I passed two runners (one male and one female). I made sure to leave them in my dust. I finished very strong and at a hard rate. I ended up under an 8:00 pace. Obviously the breaks helped, but I even counted the 2 two minutes of walking time on the way back. I went out and came back at nearly the same pace.

The weather wasn't perfect, but close to it. It was cloudy and cool. The only problem I encountered was the wind on the way out. It wasn't killer, but bothersome. It won't be long though before I'll be battling fierce winds out there.

I've run hard to date, but nothing this hard since I came back to running. I actually had forgot what it's like to run like this. I need to try to incorporate a run of this nature into my workouts every week. I forgot how energizing and exhilarating a run like this can be. It pumped me up for the rest of the day. I actually was so tired that I slept most of the morning when I got back. I feel very good now though and I'm not too sore.

I now feel like I really know where this training is going. I want to run easy on Tuesdays and Thursdays with hill sprints afterwards. Wednesdays, I'm going to really push it up like I did today. This will work well because it's the second longest run of the week. Saturday's run will be a moderate paced weekly long run. The two full days off should still give me ample recovery time each week. This format should make me strong for the half marathon and marathon to follow.

Tomorrow will be an easy four mile run followed by some hill sprints. To make sure it is easy and not competitive, I'm going to run on West River Drive. It should be a nice way to end these three straight days of running. Hopefully, I won't be too worn down by the end of them

I can see the half marathon just over the horizon and I can't wait. I checked out a profile of the course with elevation changes and made my plan for attack. The middle of the run has some hills, so I'll take it somewhat easy until after the that. During the flat final four miles, I'm really going to turn on the jets.

It's funny because it just dawned on me that I have yet to even run 26 miles in one week. The 25 that I ran last week was a high. I'm now looking for qaulity workouts from here on out since I don't have a lot of quantity in my runs. A fun road lies ahead!

7 miles - 54:43 (7:49 pace)