Sunday Recovery Run

Normally I don't run on more than one weekend day, and normally I don't run on the day after a race (yesterday's 15K). But this morning I decided to go for a run in spite of all that. I didn't really know what to do for exercise otherwise (walking takes too long, the Y doesn't open till noon, biking seemed like too much work, and we hadn't made plans to go for a hike or do much of anything other than watch the Seahawks game later). Plus, by 8 a.m. it was already sunny and looked like a beautiful day!

So I put on my race shirt from yesterday, some pants of course, and my running shoes, and after half a cup of coffee (I didn't feel like I needed to eat anything and I wasn't hungry anyway), hit the sidewalk for an easy eight (okay nine) miles.

At first I felt stiff and slow, although my first mile was only a little more than 10 minutes, which is not nearly as slow as I can manage some days. But I warmed up to a 9:37 in the next mile, then progressively sped up a bit between 9:30 and close to 9:00 (slowing a little to 9:20 and 9:30 in the last two miles), for an overall average pace of 9:28. This just confirms what I'd already figured out, that 9:30 is my "easy" pace now, the pace I can (usually) run without too much effort or exertion.

I ran twice around the 4-mile loop that passes the Y where I'll be doing the 5-mile race next Saturday. So along the way I ran twice up the hill that starts the race. Not at race pace today, though.

It's a good thing I ran, because we ordered pizza to eat for lunch with the game. Yes, the pieces of pizza I ate pretty much covered the calories I burned up in the run. But where would I have been without the running?

I am inexplicably tired tonight, so much so that instead of sitting in front of my computer I am sprawled in front of the TV (watching Top Gun :) using my BlackBerry. (The study has a TV but the computer chair isn't much good for sprawling.) I am contemplating an epsom salt bath. I THINK I have enough strength to manage a bath!

Tomorrow morning I'm out for another run. Then Tuesday is a Y day, Wednesday speedwork, and I think I'll do my Friday medium-long-possibly-tempo-run on Thursday instead. Then I'll rest my legs on Friday (probably go to the Y) before the race on Saturday. (Must remember to get registered for the race!)

Okay, Tom Cruise just graduated from the Top Gun Academy. Must tune in for the grand finale! Go Maverick! (Okay, that just gave me a Sarah Palin flashback--not good. But actually it was Tina Fey as Sarah Palin--better!)
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