Repeat

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 18:02

Today I ran the same route as yesterday (only in reverse) and ended up with the exact same time as yesterday, an 18:02. This is progress indeed! Luckily, yesterday's run didn't trigger any of the pains I was feeling last month, so today's run was, again, injury-free. After coming back from Barstow (I coach the cross-country team and we're having summer practices right now) I decided to head down to the area where I ran yesterday and get my run out of the way earlier. Running at noon yesterday was a mistake. I also decided, just to experiment, to run the route in reverse. And I think I liked it better that way. The run, again, was nice and steady and pain-free. I didn't stop at all (yesterday I did), but I was pretty exhausted by the end of it and had no energy left for a kick. Had I been able to finish stronger I would definitely have been able to get into the 17:00 range. I raved about this route yesterday, but today just confirmed it. This is a great area to run in. I didn't see anyone else on my entire run; it felt like I had the whole desert to myself. The sky was crystal clear and the air felt fresh and new. I will definitely be running more often in this area.

I'm very pleased that I got two straight runs in the low 18s. Very soon I can finally start getting ready to increase my mileage. My wife and I, along with my brother-in-law, signed up for a 5K mud run in Apple Valley on August 21st. I think this will be a good preview of running an organized race before getting into more competitive 5Ks. I've never run a mud run before, but I'm inclined to think they are more geared toward fun and playfulness rather than fierce competition. At the same time, I intend on training for it so I can still participate confidently. It ought to be an interesting experience.