A story of going from being a non-runner to planning for a marathon in three years...

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Energizer Running


Marathon training is tiring. I spent most of yesterday in a daze. I almost fell asleep on the table at the PT's office while she was digging her elbow into my glute that's how tired I was. And looking at my calendar for the next few weeks makes me even more tired.

But, strangely, a good run leaves me feeling energized. Yesterday I could have easily fallen asleep at the drop of a hat. But instead I laced up my shoes and went out with the OPRC for an (almost) 8 mile run.

It was a beautiful evening for a run. The humidity was low, the air temperature was warm enough to not be chilly but cool enough so I didn't sweat like crazy, and the sun stays up just long enough for me to get in those miles. Perfect.

For the first half I ran with one of my usual buds who informed me that he wanted to run fast so he could get ready for the 10K at the end of October. Okay. I picked up the pace after the first mile and we were flying at 9:00 minute miles and a little faster. It felt great to be running faster than usual and not struggling so much. Yay for fall!

I took the second half much easier. I ran with someone I'd never really run with before and who didn't know the 8 mile route very well. We discovered I'm not very good at giving directions while running. I just zone out and run by muscle memory, mostly. Oops.

Anyway, it was a great run and since it was our Run of the Month I followed it up by hanging with the crew and enjoying dinner at the local Greek restaurant outside on their patio. Perfect evening for running and a perfect evening for sitting outside. Both left me feeling way more energized than I was at the beginning of the day.

Doesn't mean I'm not tired now, though. Maybe I need to go for a run!

Monday Night OPRC Long Route by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details