Back on the Roads

Other than Tuesday, when I ran with the run club, I haven't been on pavement since my injury. Today, I got back out onto Kelly Drive and ran an easy 8 miles. I went just past Falls Bridge and then back. It was a solid workout.

I put on my new shoes. They are the same shoe as my old ones. I want to break them in a little before my half marathon next weekend. There is nothing like the feel of new shoes. They make running seem so effortless.

I went out at a nice and comfortable pace. Perhaps I could've gone out easier, but I wasn't working that hard. I was running at night and I always enjoy that more than during the day. It was a little chilly though. There was a slight wind as well. I wore short sleeves with my compression sleeves. That worked out pretty well.

I felt good at the turnaround point. On the way back though, my legs started to become sore. My left calf, right hamstring and right IT band became minor problems. I think the lack of time on hard surfaces, combined with the difficult run that I put in yesterday, took its toll. I still had some energy, but my legs were beat.

I'm just glad my ankle didn't bother me at all. I think that was actually my problem and not my Achilles. Either way, it felt fine throughout the run. I hope I'm completely healed. I really think the Five Fingers contributed partly to that, so I'm going to stay off them in the near future.

Because my legs were so sore and I did a lot of hills yesterday, I elected to skip the 10 hill sprints. That was a good choice. I don't need to overdo it and get injured. Just adding more hilly trail runs should be a big help.

Tomorrow, I have another run down by the river. I'd like to run in the morning, but since I'm still quite sore, I'll likely wait until after work. I need to allow my body to recover. I'll probably head to my parents house for the weekend. I want to do a long trail run in the Poconos on Sunday. I might run a shorter trail run on Saturday as well.

8 miles - 1:00:59 (7:37 pace)