I wound up having to work all day Saturday, which was a bummer, since it was perfect, weather-wise. That's how it rolls sometimes, though...and we just have to make the best of it. Since it was so nice, though, I was a bit apprehensive about the two mile run I had scheduled for that afternoon, but I needn't have worried about it. By the time I left work at 6:30, the sun was casting long shadows, so the trail was nice and shady. I decided to run the Tweetsie Trail, since it was late enough for most of the families with small children to be home eating dinner. I really love the Tweetsie, and feel very lucky that we have such an awesome reclaimed greenspace in our little town to take advantage of...the Tweetsie being a decomissioned, repurposed railroad bed running from Johnson City to the east. My worst concern is that more and more families are beginning to use it to go walking or biking, and as much as I love my community becoming so much more active, as a(n unsteady) runner, it concerns me to be sharing the trail with little ones who could dart out in front of me and cause me to zig when I should be zagging.
I don't want to hurt myself, and I certainly don't want to hurt anyone else. Despite that, though, the trail seemed pretty quiet, so I parked close to the end where most of the commercial real estate ends and the trail goes residential. It's quieter on that stretch, and there are less roads to cross, so I don't have to stop so much. The last time I ran on the trail, I only had to run a mile and a half, and I tried to judge my distance so I'd be running half way out and half way back. This time, I decided to run to the last big street crossing (not quite two miles) and double back from there. I knew that would make for a much longer walk back to the car, but that was ok...it was a gorgeous evening, and I was eager to get those steps in. Besides, it would give me a chance to work out the kinks on the way. 
The run felt good. My body felt pretty solid all the way through, and although I did start laboring pretty well toward the end, my Runkeeper app's updates every five minutes let me know that my average pace was staying pretty stable...no great fluctuations, and although I dropped just a bit toward the end, the updates helped me push a bit harder so I wouldn't drop any farther down. The app told me at the end of my run that I had had an average time of 16:15-ish, so I was thinking that it was a bit slower than the last run I had....but I was wrong.
Less that 15:00??? Oh, boy...I never expected that so soon! To say that I was pleased was a serious understatement. I finished my walk back to the car in a state of euphoria.
Sunday was another beautiful day, and I had planned to do a good bit of housecleaning, but my body screamed the moment I put my feet on the floor, so I knew that was out. I did manage to get laundry done for the week, and a few other odds and ends, but mainly it was all about rest and recouperation. I should have taken a very hot shower the minute I got home to help loosen my muscles. I should have taken an ibuprofen to help this aging body get a good night's sleep. But the lesson learned here is not to put these things off, just because I feel good in the moment. It's like stretching....forget, and you pay a steep price.
I know that it will take a while for my muscles to readjust to regular running, again. I'm still toning, I'm still strengthening, and these things take time. I just have to be patient, listen to my body, and know that right now, it's like a toddler who may protest vehemently that they do not need a nap. Time has a way of proving otherwise.
No comments:
Post a Comment