Irrational Musings

It had been almost 3 weeks since I had gone for a run and I was definitely feeling guilty. So after all the holiday shenanigans were over, I decided to see if I could pick up where I’d left off with my training and, if I could hang in there, then I would still run the Austin Marathon in February. I felt pretty good as I started this morning’s run but about two miles into it, I stepped off the curb at South Congress and Lightsey Ave and my right ankle folded underneath me. I was pretty positive I heard a pop and so took a few minutes to assess the situation. I decided that while it didn’t hurt too badly, I was already two miles from home and maybe I should just be safe and make my way back.

By the time I got home, I thought that the ankle might be OK but later that day it was clear that this was something that could not be run on for a while. So as of now, I’m bowing out of any upcoming runs or races and trying to nurse my ankle back to full strength as quickly as possible. I guess that’s why they say “There’s always next year!”. Crap.

We had traveled to Dallas this weekend for an event on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium that was chaired by my mother-in-law. So I got the chance to run on some very flat land and remind my legs that they don’t always have to be struggling to get up a big ol’ Austin hill. That flat land, coupled with all the new scenery, made the run fly by and took almost a full minute off of my pace. So 7 miles were completed with an average pace of 8′ 54″/mile. Of course, I had forgotten my heart rate monitor so for all I know I was killing myself the whole way but it felt good!

I was initially concerned about how cold it was outside this morning (a balmy 34 degrees) and so dressed in a few layers as well as my hat and gloves to make sure I didn’t freeze. The run started out really great. I was cool but not cold and clocked my second mile almost a full one minute faster than my first one and did so while going up a fairly long incline. As I hit the 2.5 mile mark at the top of the long hill on South 1st street, just before reaching Rt. 71, I realized that I was probably too warm. First thing to go was the gloves. A half-mile later, I took off the hat and opened my running jacket to vent a bit. I kept going like that for the rest of the run and managed to get negative splits in for the last two miles.

All in all I was happy with the run but I definitely need to learn how to dress more appropriately during these cold weather runs. Live and learn I guess.

The weather for this week’s long run of 8 miles was nothing short of spectacular. Mid-50s, good breeze off the lake, really splendid. Of course, that was all countered by the massive hills that plagued this particular route. Elevation varied by more than 150 feet throughout the run and the hills were either long and steady or they were short and steep. I’ve decided that I prefer long and steady.

Overall though the run was good. Average moving pace was 9:35/mile and my average heart rate managed to stay at 168 bpm, which is 89% of max – despite the hills.

I can sum up this morning’s run in one word: cold.

I wound up having to wear so many layers plus gloves and a hat so it really hampered my ability to keep tabs on my progress with my Garmin. Of course, this was slightly liberating too as it allowed me focus more on each step and breath. It’s easy to forget how important good posture, a mid-foot strike, and an even gait is when the distances get long so reinforcing that on the shorter runs is crucial. And, as it turns out, my pace was almost exactly what it’s been on runs when I can check my stats more frequently – 9:39/mile.