Post Marathon

I always love the first few weeks after running a marathon. No schedules, no paces, no target mileage. I run how often, fast, and far as I feel like. A little lazy - take the day off, feeling fast - pick it up, bored - turn around after a couple miles. It's also like a new beginning, like finishing the school year and having the summer stretched out in front of you before starting classes again in the fall. I might be busy at work, in school, or with life in general but for now that "get out there and run" voice in my head is just a murmur.

I vowed to take a week off after the marathon and you'd think that would be easy but with beautiful late fall weather and autumn foliage lighting up the park it was harder than I imagined. I kept myself content by taking Boomer, our 3 month old puppy, on long walks through the park to get my fix.

Today was the first day back out for a run and it felt good right from the start. As far as my legs are concerned the marathon is a distant memory. I almost want to hurt more. If I really raced as hard as I could, shouldn't I still be feeling it? Maybe, but I kept telling myself in those last 5 miles last Sunday that I didn't want to look back and think I could have pushed more, so give it all you got. In the last two I definitely let off the gas a little but by then the battle was lost. No point.

Anyhow, 4 miles up to Valley Green in Wissahickon Park in a surprisingly fast 27 minutes. From there I hopped over the creek for slower trip back on the trails. It was a quintessential late November day, low sun in the sky, temps in the upper 40's, and dry. In my opinion just perfect for running. Leaves blanketed the trails, concealing the small roots and rocks, making things a bit more treacherous. I hopped from rock to rock and tried to avoid the unusually large number of people who I think were out to get a peep at the fall foliage but had missed the peak by 4 or 5 days.

About 8 miles in exactly 60 minutes.