Tuesday, August 16, 2011

No Escape

So, I guess I was built for long distance running after all …

I am what I am
If you’ve been following along at home (and that’s a huge assumption on my part) then you’ll be familiar with the troubles I’ve been having recently with my running. Since the latest comeback attempt began, my runs have been in the order of 4 to 8 miles long with most being right around 6 miles. And, the vast majority of them have been awful. When I say “awful” I mostly mean they were awkward, slow and not at all enjoyable. In fact, they were so bad that I recently considered a change of hobby - as seen here.

Biddeford Pool
Anyway, last week (while away on vacation) I attempted my first "long" run since early April. Of course, heading into it I was expecting much more of the same – except that the suffering would last twice as long! However, once I got going (much to my surprise) it was great! And, I’ll give you three guesses (and the first 2 don’t count) as to when it started feeling great. Yup, you’re right! Just past mile 6!

Fortunes Rocks Beach
I don’t know what happened, but after about 45 minutes of bumbling along the winding beach roads of Biddeford Maine, my body loosened up and everything just felt better. My stride lengthened, my turnover increased and my pace quickened. In short, I got into a regular running rhythm for the first time since the accident. Of course, with the lack of any real distance training, by mile 12 I was toast, but at least I know I can work on that.

And, now that I know what I am, it’s time for me to get back to the track and work on improving those first 6 miles!

2 comments:

  1. Time to get ready for Cape Cod! Glad to see that you're running again. Take it slow and steady.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, don't be silly. I'm not running Cape Cod. Nothing but trail races, XC races and Mill Cities on my immediate horizon!

    ReplyDelete