Monday, September 28, 2009

Squelchy run

Miles: 3

The rain kept the support staff and me from taking the mountain bikes out yesterday, but today was bright and sunny, so I went for a 3-mile run.

The trail was nice and squishy from yesterday's rain. It was either deep, black mud that sucks your sneaker down and makes squelchy noises, or slippery, slimy-leaf-covered mud that you could slip on if you weren't paying attention. Once I almost landed on my butt, and I was very glad that I didn't, because even the towel I brought to protect my car upholstery probably wouldn't have done its job.

I didn't have any shin pain, which is a good sign, although I've noticed that they feel a little sore when I walk around wearing heels (which is all the time at work). I know that wearing heels isn't good for your feet/legs and it will be better for me to use flats instead. I wouldn't be surprised if my constant high-heel wearing is a major factor contributing to the shin splints.

After today's run, I've been trying to devise a way to ease back into running without overtaining. I'm thinking of starting at 9 or 10 miles this week, keeping the mileage the same for 2 weeks, and then only increasing by a half mile every other week. That's really easing into it. It's probably not enough training for me to reach my goal 5K pace by the end of 2009, but it might be a nice, slow, safe way to build a base for a half marathon in the spring.

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