Just one more day: Days 93-99

Day 93 –April 2, 2012

Time for some tempo. The team and I ran 2.5 miles to our normal turn around point and after a brief rest, ran back as a tempo run. I told the kids that if they could say more than a syllable or two, they were running too slow. I was pleased to catch and pass a couple of the mid-distance guys that shared the practice with us. Feels so good to be able to run again.

Total – 5 road miles

Day 94 – April 3, 2012

One of my guys commented that he didn’t have a lot left at the end of his last 1600. We did what we could to work on running hard when tired. So, to get tired, we ran a 2.5 mile warmup with 5 150-yard steep hill repeats in the middle of it. When we arrived back at the track, it was 5 x 400 with a 200 active recovery in between each one, run at faster than 1600 race pace. Total volume for the day was not high but it was effective for our purposes.

Total – 4.3 road, hill, and track miles

Day 95 – April 4, 2012

Time to back off with a meet coming up this weekend. We toured campus with a conversational run, stopping periodically to do full body weight exercises, balance, core, stairs etc. I loved to hear all the joking and goofing around. It was a good workout disguised as pure fun.

Total – 3.5 road miles

Day 96 – April 5, 2012

I started off the day with a great run in the woods with my “TrailBaby,” Sarah Quigg. We toured trails new to use, discovered a couple of cemeteries dating back to the mid 1800’s, climbed a HUGE hill, and then ran off of it and got temporarily displaced. Oops. We snagged a ride to make the long run back to the car a little shorter since Sarah had to get to class.

Then, it was time for practice. Another 6.5 trail miles was great fun. Attitudes were perfect and a sense of joy pervaded the group.

Total – 18.5 trail miles

Day 97 – April 6, 2012

So much to do and so little time to do it. When I get in project mode, I have to admit my interest in running declines a bit. I still managed a short run, making sure to do it BEFORE I went weeding the gardens because I knew my back wouldn’t like it much. Hard to run after manual labor.

Total – 4 road miles

Day 98 – April 7, 2012

Track meets are such long hauls. With the meet’s conclusion coming at 5:45pm, my mind was spinning with the things I needed to do in preparation for Easter dinner guests. But I could not resist the opportunity to run my old standard route in Blackwater Creek park. I hit the trails and was immediately embraced with the sweet scent of honeysuckle. It was an instant boost, allowing me to run hard the entire way. It was magnificent.

Total – 5 bike path and trail miles

Day 99 – April 8, 2012

What a glorious Easter day! Once home from church, it was steady activity to get ready for our eight guests. It was such a sweet time getting to know these young couples (all of whom are expecting their first babies), chatting it up long after the meal was consumed. By the time they left and the kitchen was cleaned, it was 10 PM. I put on my reflective vest and headed out the door for a brief jaunt. I ran right down the middle of the country road and felt free. Nice way to end the day.

Total – 2.2 miles

Year-to-date: 592 miles