The past few weeks have been pretty uninspiring, as running goes. A few weekday runs, maybe a longish run on the weekend. Pushing the buggy with 1 kid or 2, or sneaking out by myself at dusk.
Last weekend, I did one of my usual Saturday gigs - I pushed both kids in the buggy to the gym, and took a group exercise class while they tore it up in the kid room. It's about 1.3 miles to the gym, and the class usually is a nice combo of cardio and strength - just enough cardio to make me feel better about only running 2.5 miles on a Saturday. Last weekend, there was a sub, and my "Athletic Conditioning" class morphed in to "Super Ass Kicking Cardio Blast." We even did plenty of running around the building, way more than I was expecting. I was pretty spent by the end of the class, and pushing two kids home in a buggy that could probably use a little air in the tires was enough. I was done!
This morning, I had the rare luxury of both sleeping in (well, as much as you can when your kids wake with the sun) and going for an actual run, all by myself!! I decided to hit the Monticello Trail, and off I went in the cool morning. It was about 50 - perfect running weather. The leaves are just now turning and beginning to fall, and around every curve in the boardwalk was another heartbreakingly beautiful glimpse of shafts of sunlight through the fall canopy.
How lucky am I that one of my regular routes was also Thomas Jefferson's route back in the day? How many people get to enjoy a beautiful fall Saturday run at a World Heritage Site?
I needed to do about 5 miles today, and I ran up a half mile, and back down, then all the way up, 2 miles. The run downhill was fantastic. I was properly warmed up, and I just let my legs go. I glanced at my watch a few times and saw an "8" in front of my pace, pretty outstanding for me. And according to Nike +, I ran my fastest mile ever (or, at least in the last couple months since I started using Nike +). I couldn't have slowed down if I tried. The endorphin rush was phenomenal.
At the bottom of the hill, I stretched for a moment, and then headed straight for the city market for a taco, the best recovery food ever.
1 comment:
I've been thinking about running that trail soon and now you've inspired me to hit it this week.
I have biked the trail and the ride down is a blast! It's really hard to stay within the posted speed limit. :-)
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