Burning Up Powhatan

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 7:57

I'm not sure how it's happening, but I'm running less and my times are improving. We're two weeks into September, and tonight was only my second run this month, and somehow I set a course PR and ran my second fastest mile since May! On Monday I went on a mile run (my first run since the August 21st Mud Run) and I felt absolutely great as I ran an 8:21 on my standard mile route (out and back along my street, Powhatan Road). On that run I didn't feel tired until the last quarter-mile; my legs felt stronger than they did all summer; and I set a PR for that particular route. Tonight I ran the same route, out and back along Powhatan Rd., and though I didn't feel quite as strong and "springy," I somehow set a new course PR with a 7:57! The only time I've run a faster mile since May was on August 13th at the Granite Hills route when I ran a 7:50. I don't know where tonight's run came from!

I came close to not running tonight. I ate a late dinner around 7:30pm and I thought for sure I wouldn't feel up for running after that. But around 9:30pm I forced myself to stretch and head out the door, since the chances were slim that I'd get a run in tomorrow or anytime soon. I set out on a mile run and felt pretty decent at first. Immediately I could tell I was struggling a bit more than Monday, but I felt better than normal all the same. By the quarter-mile mark, I realized I wasn't feeling fatigued yet, so I kicked it up a notch. I began running on the balls of my feet (the way I ran Monday), which is something I can usually only do when I'm running on stored energy, before the fatigue sets in. I held this faster pace to the halfway point, turned around and pushed it hard on the way back. At the 3/4 mark I began to hit a wall, but I forced myself through it, and pushed hard all the way back. I didn't think I would beat Monday's time, but then I looked at the watch and was amazed. 7:57. It was the first time I ever beat 8:00 on this route! I was immediately stoked and relieved that I had not backed out of running tonight. But I couldn't figure out how I was dropping my times whilst training less. The only thing I could think of was that my muscles had been worn and torn with all my running over the summer and now they were finally being given a chance to rest and recover and come back stronger. The big difference I've noticed on these September runs is that my legs feel infinitely stronger. My conditioning may still not be great, but my legs have been carrying me the whole way, the muscles bearing the burden. I've yet to experiment with a long run, which may be a different story. But it's been very encouraging to see my mile times drop. I've got the Wrightwood 5K in about 6 weeks. It's good to know I can still run and that I haven't fallen back into my pre-May out-of-shape self. Both runs this week were utterly enjoyable. I was running, feeling great, and reveling in that free feeling of running and not dying of exhaustion.