Revving Up

I (cautiously) jumped right back into the swing of things last week and logged 63 miles. This is my highest week of mileage since pre-Duluth and it (thankfully) came rather easy. Without really trying, my runs start off rather slow (7:40 pace) and I gradually get faster as I progress. I seem to be running around 6:00 pace at the end of all my runs no matter how long or short they might be. I suspect that adding mileage might combat that some, but for now it is what it is.

The only real run worth noting from last week was a 15 miler I did on Saturday. I met Witty and Charlie at the Chevy Chase Running Company at 8am for an 8-10 mile loop the two had planned out ahead of time. We meandered up and down through the Somerset neighborhood north of the store for about 45 minutes before working some neighborhood south of the DC line. Shortly thereafter I pealed away and headed to the Capital Crescent Trail. Once there, I aimed my torso south and continued in that direction until I reached Ernst Hill. My pace hovered around 6:20 for the majority of the run prior to the famed incline and once there I slowed to 6:45s, which is still a good clip considering the hill exceeds a mile in length. I zipped back to the store via Nebraska and Wisconsin and called it a day. I will go out on a limb and suggest I might soon be in the best distance-shape of my life. Since mid-spring, long runs have felt very easy. They’ve never been hard, per se, but I seemed to have discovered a newfound strength for running strong over long distances. In talking with Jerry about this, he suggested it might be a result of getting stronger with age. This (hopefully) bodes well for a January marathon.

I’ll start workouts this week, but have decided to stay off the track for the foreseeable future. Instead, I’ll opt to replicate what others are doing while hitting up the Capital Crescent Trail. I’m excited to get back after it, but a little stressed regarding the job front and figuring out where I end up (I’ve got a few weeks left in my contract).