Finally Some Distance

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:18

I increased my mileage from 1 to 2 miles today. I didn't think the extra mile would feel too much different (after all, 2 miles isn't exactly heavy mileage), but it felt like I was dealing with a whole new animal. I was hoping to at least get under 20 minutes, which I accomplished, but my final time of 19:18 was close to what I used to run 3 miles in, so I've got lots of work to do. I tried to make my route a little more diverse than my out-and-back mile, and I think the varied nature of the route helped me through the drudgery.

There were some positives and negatives about today's run. On the up side, my breathing and overall endurance seemed to be getting a lot better. In fact, my breathing seemed to calm down and get comfortable after the 1 mile mark. And when I finished, I didn't feel as winded and exhausted as I usually do after a single mile. Of course, I was taking it down a notch since I knew I was running more than just a mile. But my split was an 8:50, which is actually a lot better than my mile times just 2 weeks ago. The down side was the muscles in my legs. For some reason they felt very strained and sore today. I hadn't run since Saturday afternoon, and aside from some swimming over the weekend, I hadn't done anything but rest my legs for the past 2 days. Yet, almost right away on my run my left calf was feeling tight and sore, and my feet and ankles were "burning." I hope this is something that will get better with time.

All thing considered, though, I count tonight's run as a success. It felt good to be out there for more than 10 minutes, and, especially, to work up a real sweat. Running one mile now seems like not nearly enough to constitute a legitimate workout.