Keep on keeping on

Well the year of running inconsistently continues, but I ran all seven days this past week for the first time since before the semester started! So that is an accomplishment, I suppose. Several of those days were simply 30 minute jogs, but I was still getting out there.

Tuesday I didn't think I should do a workout because I was feeling a bit run down after a hard Friday/Saturday combo. I was hoping to just run with Charlie at practice, but he was doing a fartlek. So I joined him on the carpet for 5 times 3 on, 3 off. It was a nice change of pace, but I may have been running too fast for a day that I'd planned to take easy. Our paces were 5:28, 5:28, 5:15, 5:12, and 5:02.

On Friday, I was excited to run a 5-mile tempo run with Dave at Riverview. It was a warm, rainy morning, and I just didn't have it that day. I felt bad on the warm-up with a cramp in my back, and then that cramp transitioned into a cramp in my stomach. My splits were going the wrong direction, and I ended it after 4 miles when I got back to the parking lot. Cooling down didn't help me either, and I really just felt deflated. Every day can't be a good day.

Saturday I slept in and ran in the late morning, doing the Rivanna loop from the track down to the Park, across Ivy and over to Fontaine. I slipped off of a foot bridge that was covered in leaves and rolled my left ankle really badly. I finished the run and got home with a swollen ankle. I took ibuprofen throughout the day, but didn't take the time to ice. Walking to the football game later, it hut a lot. I was worried about the next morning.

I went to Keene in Scottsville at sunrise to run 20 miles alone. I thought that the run was soft surface the whole way, but I was wrong. I kept myself under control for the first 5-6 miles, and got into a nice groove leading up to 10, running around 7-minute pace. After 10, I let myself pick it up a little bit and run under 7. The last 6 I tried to pick it up some more, until I ran into a pack of dogs that stopped me dead in my tracks 1 hour, 45 minutes in. Running from them got my heart rate up a little bit, but I managed to stay controlled for the rest of the run. My foot did not bother me at all, and I felt good. My back cramp bothered me a little bit at first, but I was really fine. The weather was cold but it was just a great run. Although being alone with my thoughts for roughly four hours wasn't what I needed on this Sunday morning.

Today I did a little less than 4 miles. My ankle hurt more today than it did yesterday and my back was bothering me too. I ran into Rachel and one of her friends, Austin, and ran with them for a little while before heading back on my own. It was freezing cold but I was happy to run for my 11th day in a row.