Training week 11

This past week has been a good training week.

I started out with a four miler on Tuesday morning.  It has been nice and cool so the morning runs have been very enjoyable.  The next morning I ran 8 miles early- another good morning run.  I listened to music/radio both days and felt like my running cadence was back to the normal pace 9:20-10:20 min/mile.  I took two days off of running and went swimming one day ( well O.k. so not the typical laps swimming I was doing prior to tri, but does swimming laps in the lazy river- going with the flow- count :)- the kids and I enjoyed the relaxing pool time).  Saturday morning I started about 5:45 a.m. and ran 17 miles.  I had recently conquered the eaudiobook system at my local library and was finally able to download books to the Ipod easily so I started "The Paris Wife" and really after 17 miles I feel like I could do my own "Ryan Hall Moby Dick- audiobook commercial"- you know the one that was constantly playing during the Olympics.  I listened for 2 hours and 58 minutes- about 13 chapters into the book, which I'm enjoying and I kept an eye on my pace and really tried to stay within the 9:20-10:20 mark hence why I ran 17 miles this past Saturday in just about the same time it took me to run 15 miles last Saturday.

Digression- After you run any real length of time and also throw in some hills into that run, because around where I live there just isn't flat terrain, other than the track- anyways- you get sore from the up and down and just constant hitting the pavement.  I've found that the only way I really don't "crack/fold" under the soreness after the long run is to keep moving.  So I cleaned bathrooms, with the help of my oldest, cleaned out the good old "fish tank"  with the help of both kidos, and went to the park with the family in the afternoon.  Not until later that day when I finally sat down did I start to feel sore.

Sunday I did a nice 3 mile recovery run.  Tried to run one of my flatter routes and ran it somewhat hard.  The only annoying thing about this run was I was heckled three times by the same SUV with 3 teenage boys yelling obscenities at me.  It really stinks when you go out to run a nice recovery run in the middle of a Sunday with great cool/sunny weather and have to be on guard for people yelling at you.  Despite the fact I was listening to more of "The Paris Wife" I still jumped the second time the car drove by and the testosterone filled males yelled out at me- boy did I look jumpy I'm sure.  Anyways, I made it home and again only after a little siesta on Sunday did I feel sore, mainly in my quads from the aftermath of the hills I ran the day before.

It was a good week- 33 miles!