Mar 8

FIT:
A funny feeling, when you just did a decent workout but you hardly feel any effects of it. I think my heart's getting stronger - maybe it was the sprinting from the ulty game. 8mi in 1:04:27, 8:03 ave. Splits> 8:18, 8:13, 8:12, 8:11, 8:12, 8:07, 8:02, 7:08. All at 1 degree!

I started going, right after a meal of 1/2 an orange, milk, and ww pasta w/ tomato sauce, to hit the gym for some much-needed release of energy (work stress makes you crave it) before the fitness room got crowded and before I bunkered down for a potential all-nighter... or all 3:00amer, which is when I'll need to wake up to work EU hours to conduct a training and testing session.

So I wore new 3's with Stab - had to do some tightening of the laces to make it feel right... still loose, though, and not a perfect fit. In time. Anyway, things started ok. No TV or iPod, but looked at (and even managed to bumpily read) a Runner's World magazine. My rt hamstring was acting up, then rt ankle, rt knee... bearable, though. I focused the whole time on forefoot landings. Ironically, though, pronating and heel striking on the rt foot seemed to ease the pain. Maybe the combo of Stability insoles and 3's overcompensate for my overpronation? I'll try going to Arch insoles next time.

Anyway, hoped to do some high mileage, but with my right leg problems like that, I decided, "best to live to run another day... or maybe bike tomorrow". But at 7.0mi, I decided to ramp it up and maybe get a couple tenths of miles. But going down to 7:15/mi pace felt really easy, and the tenths clicked away. Picked it up a bit at the very end of the mile it lasted. Felt great, and things hurt less at this pace, I guess because of less time touching the ground (although more impact), but it felt good. Cardiovascularly, things were great, too. It felt easy, which is an amazing feeling when you're at your body's usual limit. There was still gas left in the tank at the end, but I didn't want to push my luck.

Good run.

Iced bathed afterwards, although it's so warm now that it felt more like cold shower than ice bath. And I refueld w/ an Acai and Whey drink, a carrot, the other half of the orange, and more pasta. The Whey worked wonders last time. Maybe it was really some other factor other than the whey, but I'll run with what seems to work.

Also, I realized yesterday that I've been neglecting my elastic band exercises. Maybe that's why I had knee issues recently. So I incorporated it into my strength session last night. Hadn't done it in 2 weeks! I gotta be diligent, though. I feel a knot coming on in my butt... gotta work it out.