Checkin In

A long hiatus between posts makes me realize how long it’s been since I’ve put in any real mileage, well over a month. Since my last post I have run but only 10-20 miles per week. Any runs I have completed were untimed and unlogged. Just out there running when I feel like it.

I have been out more often on my mountain bike. I’ve earned a few bruises from a couple low-speed falls, and some tight quads from pushing up the steep hills in the Wissahickon. The workout on a mountain bike is a lot different from a run, bursts of high output on the hills following by aerobic breaks as I try to navigate down rocky rutted hills. I’m not really sure how these rides translate into running fitness but I definitely feel like I worked my ass off when I get home.

The Philly Distance Run is only a few weeks away and I figure it’s time to start running more miles to get myself prepped for the race. This started on Sunday with a solid 8 miles on Forbidden Drive. My pace was steady in the 7:15 range, the weather was nice (as most of August has been this year) and I felt great. I expected to feel the miles in my legs the next day but I surprisingly felt fresh.

I went out for a very hard 15 miles on my bike Monday evening. I ended up pushing more than expected after meeting another guy at around the same speed. We raced up down the park keeping each other motivated on the hills. All in good fun.

Last night was an easy 6 miles with Heather. I wanted to pick things up but kept the pace easy to run most of the way with Heather. When we reached the exit to the park up Rex Hill, I took off and pushed hard up the hill for home. Just over 6 miles.
I’ll hopefully keep the mileage in the upper 40s for the next couple weeks and see what happens on PDR on Sep 21st.