First Workout Blues

On Monday I ran an easy 6 miles in the evening. My legs seemed very tired for some reason. The mileage might finally be catching up with me...

On Tuesday night I ran a loop from work (Farragut North) that took me down to the Towpath and up the Glover Archibald Trail. Halfway through the run I recalled how much longer the route was than I initially thought. My legs were tired and I just wanted to be done with it. I finally emerged at Wisconsin and meandered my way to Connecticut via Reno and Tilden before heading down Zoo Hill. It was a quiet night at the zoo. All told the loop was 11.5 miles. Legs were tired.

I shuffled an easy 4 on Wednesday morning and met the team at the track later that night for a workout. I opted to stick to the Capital Crescent Trail and ran 4 x mile (the odd reps downhill and the even reps uphill) on the unpaved section between Wisconsin and Connecticut. Outlaw and PMurph joined in the fun. The goal was to run circa 5:15s because it was our first workout in quite sometime (pre-Duluth for me). The times: 5:12, 5:16, 5:03 & 5:21. I typically add or subtract 6 seconds from each rep to compensate for the hill (no rhyme or reason to this equation, but it "feels" right) and that would mean I ran the following: 5:18, 5:10, 5:09, 5:15. It was definitely a rust-buster and the reps felt more in line with a cross country workout than anything on the track. The last rep was especially tough. Outlaw and I jogged a couple miles to cooldown, but my legs were smoked, so I walked the last 1/4 mile in. This happens, it seems, after every break. Workouts will only get easier after this.

I ran 10.5 with Luffington on Thursday night from Fox Hall. We ran the "Pig Trail" in the woods around the Forest Glenn Annex (part of Walter Reed). We both remarked how there are already hints of autumn in the air: the occasional yellow leaf sitting motionless in the middle of the trail, the decaying smell of the forest and whispers of cooler weather on the horizon. Bring it.