11-10-2010 Run - It's five A.M. Do you know where your running shoes are?

Today I did it. I awoke at 5:00 am and went running. It was different running in the dark. And I ran my course backwards. I didn't have any reflective running gear, except for the little reflective patch on my Fuel Belt, and the fact that running shoes are inherently reflective. But I think I'm going to have to get something if I am going to run in the dark more often. I felt safe on the sidewalks, but running on the bike path made me uneasy. Some biker could come up behind me and run me over.

As I said after Monday's run, I was going to try today's run backwards, so instead of going UP the long shallow grade, I would go DOWN. I was disappointed that my time was no faster; 2.5 miles in 27:30, average 11 minutes per mile. I was hoping for 10. Perhaps that time will come down as I continue running.

However, my heartrate was quite a bit lower. At no time did it go above 170, and my breathing was easier. And I did not have to walk - except for the time when I was putting my bottle back in the Fuel Belt and it slipped through and fell on the ground. So that was victory.

I am still quite sore after the run. I did not use the bucket of ice water on my right foot - I just iced the outside portion of it. But my medial gastrocnemius on both legs feels quite sore, with a bit of acute pain on the right leg. Icing did not help. As soon as I took the ice off, it went right back to hurting. So this is not an inflammation problem - it's outright muscle soreness. I did not take the After Glow recovery drink; I just took the normal protein powder. More experimentation will be necessary to figure out how to get around this muscle soreness without paying the three bucks per serving for After Glow.

Time: 2.5 miles in 27:30 - 11:00 per mile. Weather: 51 degrees and dark, slight breeze. Clothing: baseball cap, long sleeve shirt, shorts, cotton socks. Pre run beverage: Water. During run: Accelerade. Post run: dry cereal with protein powder and milk. I knew my running gloves would be too heavy, but I do wish I had something covering my hands. Perhaps a lighter pair of gloves?