High mileage.

I haven’t written much (mostly to let others have a turn), but have been bustling with good news. The last two weeks have been my highest mileage weeks ever (well, this week will be after tomorrow’s five miles)! Also, after skipping a run on Sunday (dehydration and ennui), I doubled up on Monday with five miles before and after work. For the last five miles, far from being sluggish as I feared I might be, I ran fast the entire way. I must have started doing around nine-minute miles and sped up each mile, ending somewhere under an eight-minute mile for the fifth (tenth?), averaging about 8:30. Trust me, this is fast for me, particularly to maintain. It just felt good, so I kept upping the pace, and never quite reached a point that felt like too much.

Have also managed two ten-milers on the towpath since my last post. The first felt okay, though slightly like death by quads by the last mile. I finished stronger today, though overall think I should have been faster (I averaged 11:18, but I think I ran the first three around 11:30-11:00, 10:00-9:00 for the next four, then 11:00-10:00 for the last three), and MAN am I exhausted! I suppose there’s just something to be said for completing longer runs (these two were the longest since the half-marathon in May, and ten miles each, though I’m used to running eight at a time). I have had more altercations with deer (and a poll of customers who use this particular trail has yielded advice to make noises at them, not just wave), though today it was mostly woolly bears.

Also, to spare you all the drudgery, and to improve my running habits, I started a running log and have been attempting to detail each and every run to determine trends and chronicle successes (and failures). I will let you know how that goes.

Tomorrow, I’m off to Boston for a quick vacation. Kristina and I have tentative plans for a run over the weekend (pending her knee situation, though I have no details- get well soon!), during which I may just demand she wear that tutu. Terribly excited about Boston (and very proud of myself for high speed and high mileage weeks!).