Monday, December 17, 2012

The Calm Before the Storm

I took it easy last week, following the Gar Williams Half Marathon.  I took Monday off after the half marathon, and then tried to run on Tuesday but I was hurting.  Not like an injured hurting, but more like an "I just ran 13.1 miles faster than I ever have before" kind of hurting.  I called it quits 2 miles into my run on Tuesday and figured I'd just sort of run for fun for the week.  No pace or mileage goals.  I'd just run to run.  I think I earned that.

The one longer run I did on Saturday was 8 miles, and it was absolutely beautiful.  I ran along the Potomac River on the Mount Vernon Trail.  It was slightly breezy, incredibly sunny, and a cool 50-ish degrees.  I love running past Gravelly Point Park (here are some pictures) where planes take-off and land literally right over your head.  You can also look across the water at the monuments in DC, and on a clear, sunny day the colors are so vibrant.  The contrast between the dark blue water and the sparkling white monuments, with trees intermixed, can be quite a scene.

I plan to approach this week with a little more intensity.  I don't have anymore races lined up before we leave for India in January, but I am going to attempt the "12 Runs of Christmas" challenge.  That will be some big volume for me and I'm a tad bit nervous about it.  I figure that I can have one more tough week, and the first week of the challenge will almost be like a recovery week; however, the second week of the challenge will be tough.  Oh well, here's to trying new things!

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       2.00 miles; 20:00; avg. pace 10:00/mi
Wednesday:  4.06 miles; 36:05; avg. pace 8:53/mi
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          4.00 miles; 34:15; avg. pace 8:33/mi
Saturday:      8.02 miles; 1:11:10; avg. pace 8:52/mi
Sunday:         Off

Total Mileage:  18.08 miles
Total Time:       2:41:30
Average Pace:  8:56/mi

Happy Running!

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