I had a rough start today. I wasn’t really convinced that I wanted to get out and run today. My legs were still a bit sore from the activities of the previous two days. But it wasn’t hot today, and I needed to take advantage of that. So I headed out. I skipped my normal downhill start and just cut through on the pedestrian path up to Carmel Country Road. I thought I may be able to make it up and over that first big hill without breaking down into a walk (since I had skipped the first section of the initial hill). No. I broke down mentally and let myself walk about halfway up the hill. Then I just continued walking along the top and down through the entire second mile. I was sweating like crazy and my legs were hurting a lot. I was even starting to convince myself that I should just turn around and head back.

But then I found a little bit of backbone. I said to myself, no, I’m going the full 6 miles even if I walk the whole thing. The run had been completely pathetic up to that point, quite possibly my worst first two miles ever. But committing to going the full distance changed something in me. I started to jog, then suddenly I was running. I was going pretty fast. It was slightly downhill, so it should be fast, and it was. I finished mile 3 under 9 minutes. I walked for a bit while I got my first drink of water (and poured a bunch on my head and back), then got right back to running. I ran almost another 2 miles.

I might have continued running all the way back, but as I got to the bottom of Palacio Del Mar, the road was closed. Not just the road, but the bike path (that I was on) too. They were resurfacing everything. There was hot oil and fresh tar. It didn’t look good. I saw a path down the main road (a private street that I’m normally not allowed to use) and convinced the road crew to let me jump their blockades and run to the end of the road and up onto the concrete sidewalk at the end so I wouldn’t have to re-route back up (which would have added an extra 2 miles to my trip). They agreed and I took off before they could change their minds.

But I lost my rhythm. The truth is that I was probably going to lose my rhythm anyway because the run changes from slightly downhill to very much uphill right after that, but I’m still blaming the construction, since that’s what ripped me out of the great breathing/running pattern I had going.

So I walked a lot of that final hill home, but I managed to pull out an almost acceptable average pace for the whole run.

Here is my scale for grading each mile and my overall average pace.

under 8 minutes (hasn’t happened in real life, only once on the treadmill): Smokin’ Fast
8 to 9 minute mile: Fast
9 to 10 minute mile: Good
10 to 11 minute mile: Acceptable
11 to 12 minute mile: Slow
over 12 minutes (still happening way too often): Walking

My running has really gone downhill. I can barely run more than a mile at a time without breaking down and walking. Today I once again proved that I can run, and that my body is still in control of my mind. I need to get back to sucking it up and just running.

My one “fast” mile (the only mile I actually ran) came while losing elevation. And you thought I was kidding when I said my running has really gone downhill.

I added some lunges to my warm-up routine today. I saw some running coach suggesting them on Youtube. I don’t think it helped my performance, but I think it probably helped me avoid injury and that’s every bit as good.

I walked a whole lot today, but I did manage to get one fast mile in there. It was mostly down hill, so it should have been fast, but I’ll take it.

I need to get back into my routine of running, biking, and swimming. I haven’t been in the pool or on my bike forever.