There are many days when i wonder if i didn't peak in my training for the marathon in mid-August and am now going backwards. Today was one of the days that show how wrong that is and help keep me focused and on track.
Yesterday morning i still didn't feel 100%, but i knew i had to run so around 9:30 i was out the door to make up the 10 miler that i skipped on Saturday. Much to my surprise, it was a very good run (9:20 pace) and there is little doubt that i could have run it even faster if i had lungs that didn't hurt a little with each breath. Maybe "hurt" isn't the right word, but "bother me" surely is accurate.
After getting home i knew that if i stayed there i would just lay on the floor and read, claiming illness as a reason to do nothing. So, after having an early lunch, and drinking about 45 oz. of water and Gatorade, i loaded a couple of apples, a Cliff Bar, and three bottles of water on my bike, and headed out to a park in Homer Glen on South Bell Road. That's 8 miles from home, and after that, riding around the park, and a long, circuitous route back home i found that i had ridden a total of 20 miles for the day. Not to mention the nice nap on a picnic bench at the park. Is there anything better than a snack, something to drink, and then a nap outdoors????
Because of the unexpected and unplanned bike ride yesterday, i was sort of expecting today's 10 miler to be pretty hard, but found that it wasn't. I admit that i intentionally ran it at a slow 9:45 pace but the perceived effort that i logged for the run was no more than usual. That was good news. If tomorrows 9 miler is as easy, i think i'll be feeling much better about my fitness level as the race approaches.
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