44 Miles and Running

I am behind by three runs on my blogging. I know this frustrates the multitude of reader who eagerly await an update about my running everyday... or not. Sorry for the delay and I will try to keep more up to date in the future. I am sure it won't happen, but at least I have a little bit more to write about when the runs pile up.

I have to cast my memory all the way back to Friday. This was a recovery run from the race on Thursday. My upper ankles/lower calves were really aching. I put in 3.5 miles through Manayunk at a 7:45 pace. The ache wasn't any worse while running and it just had to work its way out of my legs.

Saturday morning my legs weren't any better, in fact I think they felt a little worse. This is often the case though. A tough workout does not really show it's full effects until 2 days after a run. I really can't bitch that much though, it wasn't like I was hobbling, just really achey after sitting for a while until I walked a bit to loosen things up. I am sure there are runners out there that would laugh at me for even mentioning these aches because they deal with more on a daily basis. All things are relative.

Anyhow, I went out for an 8 miler on Saturday evening with Heather. The loop we took sent us through Manayunk at just after 9:00 on Saturday night. We didn't go up Main Street but there were still plenty of twenty somethings hanging out with beers on their porch or stoop. as we cruised through the neighborhood. I mentioned to Heather that they must think we are a little nuts for running on a Saturday night, maybe they think we are just total dorks for it. She says "They wouldn't be to far off".

Maybe we are dorks for running until 9:30 on a Saturday night, but the mexican food and maragritas at Johnny Manana's afterwards tasted all the better after a good run.

Sunday was a longerish evening run. A loop that started at my house, Bloody Nipple, Belmont Mansion, Girard bridge, Lemon Hill, Art Museum Steps, Kelly Drive, and back to my house. The legs were still achey and I really thought I was gonna get killed by the wind but things weren't to bad. My legs, although they felt kind of tired, kept me moving at a good pace. The wind was only a problem from Boathouse row to the Columbia Bridge on the way up Kelly Drive. This was only a few miles out of the 12.2 I ran so the wind wasn't much of a factor.

This run started a little slow but sped up as it progressed. I was ticking off 7:10-7:20s as I came up Kelly Drive. I have a feeling that by the time I get to the Chicago marathon in October the pace I need to hit to qualify for Boston may feel fairly easy. In fact it already does. At least much easier than it did thsi time last year. Of course I don't want to to get to cocky, I know just about anything can happen in a 26.2 mile race but I am feeling confident at this point.

44 miles for the week