The Long Run

It's been a long few weeks - in a good way. After recovering from The Cold I turned it back on in the training department in a big way. All in all, over the past two weeks I have gone from feeling that a half ironman in June was a joke...to feeling like it's really doable. The swim is still an issue; my goal there is to get to a place where I can have it be - in the words of Coach Alan - a "non-event". Then, I just focus on the bike and the run.

So in addition to some really good bike trainer workouts, the run is coming along well. Last weekend after missing the prior weekend's long run I put in a 1:30 run for just over 8 miles...I was geared up for 1:40 this Sunday and was alarmed to hear from JoMarie and Amelia that this weekend's scheduled run (for them in DC, for me here in ATL) was 1:50...a whole :20 longer than last week.

Now, :20 isn't long in a vacuum, but daaaaamn long on top of 1:30. Plus, last weekend the last :10 of the run was....rather hellish. Lots of stopping and stretching. SO. Off I went. I headed out to the right along the river and ran to the Chattahoochee Nature Center, and went the half mile around the boardwalk. I tacked on a little bit more to the left then headed back to my :55 rendezvous with a man, a dog, and a bag.

Right on time, I met John who had Tilley in tow, and a bag containing the following: a second Carb-boom, a second water flask, lip balm, a spare long sleeved shirt, and a ziploc bag full of wet wipes. After a quick stretch and goods exchange and dog pickup, off we went in the opposite direction.

Only ten minutes in....trouble. Left side, lower knee...stop and stretch. Repeat every 10 minutes. One last stretch was had once we came off the gravel trail behind the sand company. Then the last :20 of the run...it was actually okay. It was a stable discomfort but no longer a chronic nor worsening feel. We got back to the apartment and Tilley tried to put on the brakes....but we had 9 minutes left. Up to the boathouse again, turnaround, and back. The. Last. Four. Minutes. Took. Forever. But we did it...! 1:50:08 and 9.6 miles. And yes, I *am* counting.