This week I am out of town in Marietta, Ohio, right on the Ohio river. And this is supposed to be a higher mileage week for me (22 to 24 miles, with a 9 mile long run). I was concerned about how I am going to fit it all in, but so far I managed to fit two runs in. There is a nice path along the Muskingum river, which is a tributary to the Ohio. Very peaceful - since I am accustomed to getting up early anyway, I've been hitting the trail at about 5:00 am and still making it back before dawn.
On Tuesday, I ran 3.3 miles in 34 minutes, a quick 10:20 pace. (Or at least, quick for me). On Wednesday, I got up on time, then realized that I did not get the keys to the rental car from my co-worker who is traveling with me. I did not think it prudent to wake him up at 4:15 just to ask for keys, so back to bed I went.
On Thursday, I woke up and it was REALLY windy out. The temp was 61 degrees, but the wind kinda threw me off. I hit the trail wearing short sleeves and a running jacket, and running gloves. After about 0.2 miles, the jacket came off and got tied around the waist. The gloves stayed on, though - I did try taking them off and stuffing them in my pockets, but whenever the wind kicked up, my hands got cold. So back on they went. I made it 4 miles in 45:30, a VERY slow 11:22 pace. What I don't get is that I felt like I was running a 10:30 pace, and I should have been able to run a 10:30 pace. I can come up with three reasons: first, I was not hydrated correctly - I was reaching for my water bottle several times during a run where I really should not have had to get any water at all. Second, being that I am on a business trip and sleeping in a hotel, I'm probably a bit fatigued but not noticing it. Third, since I am eating in restaurants, I am not getting as much carbs as I need, and probably too much protein and fat.
But the runs have been very peaceful and energizing, and it's nice to be able to run in shorts and short sleeves.
Run rating: 3 out of 3
Confidence: Up (cautiously - my week is not yet done!)
Update: I re-mapped my run on www.mapmyrun.com, and found out that the 4 miles was actually 4.25 miles (I missed the first 1/8 of a mile when I did my mapping, and since the path was point-to-point, it totals 1/4 mile). That means I ran 4.25 miles in 45:30, which is a 10:42 mile pace. That is much closer to what my body was telling me that my pace was!
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