Back Out There

After running the half marathon in Huntsville back in November, I took a five-week break, hiding behind the fact that I was starting a new job. It cost me a lot of fitness (although I drank a lot of Saturday morning coffee). 

Now I'm a little more used to the tides at work, and I'm starting to get back out there. Mileage is still on the low side, low 20s (though I'll show that even that may have been a bit too high). This meant that I was on the sidelines for the inaugural Run For Recovery, Tuscaloosa's inaugural half marathon. Though I was in no shape for a half, I wanted to be a part of it, so I volunteered to be a course marshal, clapping and encouraging those who came by. 

This turned out to be harder than running the half-- I got to my spot just past mile 12 at about 7:15 for an 8:00 am start. This meant I had nothing to do for about two hours, so I stood and waited in 35-degree temps. I'd run the three miles from my home to the race, so I did some road work of my own by then. Thankfully, I had overdressed for the run there, so I was a little warm on the way, but thankful for every layer as the sun continued to rise but the temperatures did not. A good friend (MVP of the day) handed me a pair of hot hands, which turned out to be the most important piece of gear I had. All the clapping meant the hot hands kept doing their thing, and I stayed pretty comfortable.

The down side was having to wait four hours for the last runner to pass my post. This meant I stayed out there for nearly five hours, which turned out to be harder than running the actual race. But I was still glad to be a small part of the event.

Anyhow, my mileage has gradually climbed into the 20+ range, though at a bit of a price. I broke my Saturday long run into two pieces, since I had to work 9-1. 4.3 to get there and 3.7 home after a bit of a short cut. At the beginning of the return trip, my left calf acted up again-- the same one I've had problems with in the past. Increasing weekly mileage too quickly was the cause. I did make it home, but today was and tomorrow will be rest days, before we begin a week of easier running. 

I also had a small pack with me, so I was carrying some extra weight, and doing it unnaturally, since it wasn't steady on my back. So it wasn't my best run. But it was an eight-miler. And I'm starting to feel like a runner again.