Building a Base

Building a base is hard work. Being out of the running game for over a year has put the hurt on me. So I've spent the past two weeks (and next week) building up my mileage so I can run the St. Jude's Half Marathon.

After last week's just-under-15-miles week, my hamstring and knee were bothering me. So I took Sunday off.

On Tuesday, I ran a fast 2 mile run. I forgot to take a picture of my stats since I did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge after my run.

Here's how it went:

Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 20:05
Average Pace: 10:09
Best Pace: 8:17
Calories: 173
Average Cadence: 174

The ice bucket challenge was the fastest cool down I've ever had. I do think my co-worker enjoyed dumping ice water on my head a little too much.

When I got to work Wednesday, we found a knot in my left calf the size of the Titanic. We each took turns trying to work it out. None of us could break it up. I now have a bruise on my calf. No pain, no gain.

Yesterday's run was super nice after the first couple of miles.

I forgot how much better it feels to run passed the 2-3 mile mark. I've always felt like I don't get warmed up and feel good until after 3 miles. It was totally true of my long run this week.

Stats for this week's long run:

Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 46:52
Average Pace: 11:43
Best Pace: 10:46
Calories: 343
Average Cadence: 172

I had negative splits for each mile, and mile four was my fastest. I was nervous about the Titanic sized knot in my calf and my nagging hamstring/knee injury, but everything kept it together. And I can still walk today. It's the little things.

I have a date with my foam roller, and I'm going to a yoga class to help workout some of this muscle tightness. I'm looking forward to a solid recovery day.

And I think I need to take Annie to the dog park....

Since she's been perched on the side of my computer since I started this post.