Running with Jack

I was pretty worn out by the time I got home from work today. I am restructuring a large part of my company Intranet and it has proved to be an intensive project. Coupled with fighting a cold this has been sapping my energy.

Anyway when I got home I suited up, warmed up and headed out the door for a 14K/8.7M loop. The first couple kilometers were sluggish, but then my congestion started loosing up and my breathing improved and I fell into a good comfortable pace. Unlike the 11C/52F weather we had on Tuesday, tonight was 3C/37F and it was snowing lightly. I was dressed warmer than normal so I was comfortable. I started getting a little tired the last 15-20 minutes out, but I wanted to keep the intensity going, so I pushed. My muscles responded, my breathing cooperated, I chugged on finishing with an average pace of 5:30/K (8:51/M) – just what I was looking for! The best part is that I left the worn-out, tired feeling somewhere out on the trail, I feel so much better now.

Speaking of trails, I got a new book this week: “Runner’s World Complete Guide to Trail Running”, by Dagny Scott Barrios. I’ve already read the first couple chapters, a good book filled with lots of common sense tips and suggestions. Some of it is a refresher from my hiking days back when I was a teenager (it was a looong time ago), other parts like the chapters on racing look quite interesting. In any case this is something to keep me occupied if the taper monster shows up at the door at midnight ;-)

Overall I would say my cold is getting better quickly, but I know this can change fast so I am being cautious. I have a 24K/15M run on the schedule for Saturday morning, but I may reduce this some if I feel the need.