Into February

I was pretty beat up from Sunday's long, hard run, so I decided to postpone my Monday run to the evening. Unfortunately, by the time I laced up my shoes it was dark and rainy. I opted to stick to the trails, which was somewhat silly given their condition, but I dared not run along any icy sidewalks or shoulders. The going was sloppy, and I my pace, at times, was just above 9:00/mile, but it was fun all the same. I was guided by the white light of the fallen snow and didn't see a soul. Although it was peaceful, I stopped at 50:00 (or 6 miles)...that was enough.

On Tuesday morning, I ran along the snowy trails and bike path near my place. On my way back home I bumped into Mark Hoon, who is getting himself back into shape after an injury. I only got in 8.5, but felt terrible both during and after the run. My left shin was hot, my right knee hurt and something was going on with my left ankle/Achilles. I'm thinking this had something to do with running in the cold over uneasy surfaces. I still didn't feel "right" on Wednesday morning, so I decided to forgo the run. For me, right now it's all about staying healthy and not chasing arbitrary mileage.

By Thursday, my niggles were feeling much better, but I felt incredibly weak and lethargic -- almost as if my blood levels were askew; I was breathing very heavy and only running 7:00 pace. I got in 8.5.

On Friday, to my surprise, I felt much better. A quarter mile into my run, I bumped into my illegitimate son, Blur, who was running full stride down Bradley Blvd. He did a 180 and followed me to the Cabin John Trail. We talked about alimony payments and I showed him a thing or two, then we parted ways. I got in 9.

It was in the single digits (with the wind chill) when I woke up on Saturday morning so I stayed in bed for a few extra hours. I finally got out there around 10:30am and took to the trails above Old Angler's Inn running every single spur I came across. After 5 miles of trails, I hit the towpath for another 5 miles. 10 for the day.

On Sunday, I met Sam Luff at The Line. We got word that Dickson (and the Young "Twins") had parked at the Georgetown Store (instead of The Line) by mistake so we decided to simply run down Beach and meet them "halfway", which ended up being about a mile south of Pierce Mill. Together, we circled back north then ran a Ross Drive Loop. After that, Beth ran south while the rest of us did another Ross Drive Loop. Once we hit mile ten, I took off and pushed the tempo for 4 miles back north to The Line - 5:34, 5:24, 5:26 and 5:17. I felt MUCH more comfortable than I did during last Sunday's tempo, but feel as if I am beginning to get a little stale. My plan had been to use December and January to uptick the mileage and get strong, and I'm pleased with how that's been going, but now I need to start getting fast. 15.5 for the day and 57 for the week.

I think I am racing (a road 5k) next Sunday so we'll see where I am at.