Savoring the Night

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:27

After nearly giving myself heat-stroke yesterday with a 3-mile run in the middle of the day during a desert heat wave, I determined to run only at night until the weather cools down. Today I went to the gym to get in some cardio and weight-training. I spent 40 minutes combined on the elliptical and the stationary bike, and then worked on my chest and arms. I've been pretty consistent with the gym lately, going 4 times this week and last week. And the cross-training is definitely helping with my running.

When 8pm hit, and the temperature dropped dramatically, I laced up and headed out on my run. I decided to run just 1 mile, as my calves have begun to bother me again, and I want to make sure I'm injury-free for Saturday's mud run. Plus, I haven't run my old standard route in quite some time, and I was anxious to see how I'd perform on it now. So I ran a half-mile down my street, turned around, and ran a half-mile back; the same route I ran back on April 8th, when I could barely run 10 feet without wheezing and keeling over; the same route I started my current training regimen on back on May 20th; and the same route on which I timed my first mile of 2010 (a 9:36) on May 24th. Tonight I ran an 8:27, my second-fastest time on this particular route.

Though I didn't set a mile PR tonight, this run felt better than almost any I've yet run this year. For the first half-mile, I felt like I was barely doing anything! My breathing stayed relaxed (almost to the point where I could have just breathed out of my nose!). I did begin to tire on the second half of the run, but for the last quarter-mile I ran hard and strong, feeling like I had a lot of energy still on reserve. I thought maybe I would get a 2010 PR, but I was off by almost 40 seconds. I think my beginning pace was too slow, as I was enjoying too much the feeling of running and not being weary! Tonight's run, again, felt like a vast improvement was made. I felt like I had got past a wall that was keeping me constantly fatigued on my runs. Tonight I got to experience running as though I was a thoroughly conditioned athlete (for a half-mile at least). It's a feeling I want to strive towards. My goal is to be able to run for several miles in a relaxed, comfortable state. Tonight was a big step toward that goal.

Tomorrow I will be resting completely. No running, no gym. Saturday is the Apple Valley Mud Run, and I want to be at maximum effectiveness for it. I plan on having fun with the race, as I'll be running it with my wife and brother-in-law. I'm hoping it will get me hooked on organized races. In a sense, it will be my first step towards entering my first marathon! My next post will be about the mud run.