Wendy 2, deer 0

I arguably ran eight miles this morning…closer to ran six and walked here and there to a little over eight miles covered. Ostensibly, the walking bits were where/when I wanted to take in the scenery along the towpath (map at left courtesy of orcno.com), but I’ve also felt kind of sluggish lately (although when I got back to the car and checked the time, I realized I must have been running faster than I thought). I’m not sleeping well, and have resorted to sleeping pills on more than one occasion. Then again, if I were running more, I think I’d be sleeping better…

It was the first time I’ve run the towpath alone. I saw slugs (out in full force, maybe 50 of them here and there), two matching caterpillars, a heron, a few sparrow-type birds, and had a showdown with a deer. This happened the last time I ran the path, too. Deer are a little scary up close; they look like they could kick you to next week, particularly if they seem to be guarding a fawn. These park deer seem to be fairly used to people on the path and this one merely stared back at me as I slowed my approach, then shuffled off to the side to let me pass. Unfortunately I didn’t see any eaglets, though the park website says it's out and we can make noise on the path again.

I’m frustrated that my endurance seems to have taken a beating, though I didn’t feel that tired when it was over. I think I need to work on slowing myself down, and running steadily (though I keep reading that interspersing bouts of walking in a long run can improve endurance over time, better than running alone). By now, a few hours after showering and lunching, I feel strong. If only I could have felt this capable while actually RUNNING.

And guess which four-mile “interval” run I didn’t do yesterday? Yep, THAT one. I think I ran early enough this morning to allow myself to make it up tomorrow afternoon, even if I follow it up with an easy five-miler on Friday morning. Weekend off!

Standout track of the day: “M 79,” Vampire Weekend (BPM unknown, but it’s not for pace, it's for joy!)