I decided to take a full week off after running the P.F. Chang's Rock'n'Roll Arizona Half Marthon last Sunday. I wasn't feeling well before the race, and I needed some time to recover-- both physically and mentally. I was a little disappointed in my time in the race, and I felt I needed a little break to get my head back into running. Barry and I decided to run on the canal at 7:30 Saturday morning. Unfortunately, our cat Lucy passed away Friday night. I needed to take care of her on Saturday, so we delayed the run until Sunday. Lucy was about 11 years old, and was the sweetest cat I've ever met. She will be dearly missed.To further make this run more difficult, Jen and I went out with Dorian for a belated birthday sushi dinner. I managed to drink 3 beers during dinner and 6 glasses of wine afterwards. I woke up feeling pretty uninspired to run. But I took some ibuprofen, drank some Vitamin Water and got ready to go. I was happy to find out that Barry had engaged in similar activities the evening before. We hadn't really settled on a distance before we started, but I was hoping to get in 11 miles. As we started out, I had to fight with my new earbuds and the placement of my iPod. I decided to go hatless today, and clipped the shuffle onto my shorts. It took a half mile or so to figure out a configuration that would stay put. I re-cued the Genius playlist I used during the race last week: Eddie Amador - 6 AM (Belocca & Soneec Dublife Remix) (feat. Joy Allura) - Yoshitoshi Ibiza Mixed By Miss Nine The Prodigy - Get Up Get Off (Fujikato+Dancingdiscoduke Remix) - Always Outsiders, Never Outdone Spektrum - Kinda New - Groove Armada Presents... Paul van Dyk - Connected - Reflections DJ Icey - Filthy Who 5 (VIP Mix) - Twisted Tiësto - Magik Journey - In My Memory Tom Novy & Lima - Take It (Radio Edit) - House 2006 Olav Basoski - Waterman - Ministry of Sound: The Annual 2005 Fila Brazillia - The Sheriff - Old Codes, New Chaos Paul Oakenfold - Hold Your Hand - Bunkka Moby - Next Is The E - Moby DJ Icey - Under Constructo - Twisted Keoki - Caterpillar (The Crystal Method Remix) - Altered-Ego-Trip (The Remix Album) The Crystal Method - The Dubeliscious Groove (Fly Spanish Version) - Keep Hope Alive The Funky Lowlives - Inside - Hi:Fidelity Lounge, Vol. 4: Res Ipsa Loquitor Paul van Dyk - Words (feat. Roland Ateundred) - Seven Ways (Special Limited Edition) The Chemical Brothers - Get Up On It Like This - Dig Your Own Hole ATB - In Love With the DJ (New Vocal Club Mix) - The DJ in the Mix Ferry Corsten - Fire (Original Mix) - Ultra iDance 05, Disc 2 (Mixed by Johnny Budz) Thievery Corporation - Warning Shots (feat. Sleepy Wonder and Gunjan) - The Cosmic Game The first 3 miles of the run were great. We were clipping along at an 8:30-ish pace, and I felt surprisingly good. The weather was nice (about 53 degrees), my legs didn't hurt at all and my breathing was fine. As we crossed Camelback Rd., I could feel myself wanting to slow down just a little. The next mile was an 8:49 pace. As we passed the 4 mile mark, I was starting to feel the week layoff and the booze from the night before. While I used to be able to hold my own liquor-wise, I drink so seldom these days (not intentionally) that when I do I really feel it. I was starting to feel pretty hot and my legs were starting to get a little sluggish. But I could tell that I would at least be able to make it to the 5 1/2 mile mark, so it was looking good for 11 miles today. As we approached the 5 1/2 mark at 56th Street, I felt the urge to use the restroom. I thought, "Herberger Park is only 1/4 mile ahead, so let's just keep going." We kept on running across 56th Street and onto the bathrooms at the park. After we used the restroom and cooled off for a minute, we headed back out again. I immediately felt a sharp pain in my lower back on the left side. "Ouch! What's THAT?!?" I thought. I rubbed it a little as we ran, and luckily it worked itself out. The break was just what the doctor ordered, because the next 3 miles felt great. We were doing an 8:40-ish pace, and the hotness and sluggishness I felt in my legs was gone. As we re-crossed Camelback Rd., I could feel the fatigue starting to return. I fought through it and kept running. I was rewarded with a nice little runner's high that lasted for about a half mile. The song that was in my ears, the quality of the light and the endorphins mixed to create a cool buzz. It wore off as we crossed 32nd St. Only 2 miles to go! I started petering out over the next 2 miles. I could definitely feel the week layoff and the heat. Still, I kept pressing. A short walk break at the 1 mile point and another as I crossed 24th Street were enough to get me to the finish. I finished the 11.6 miles in 1:42:19, a decent enough 8:49 pace. I'm encouraged by today. I was worried that the race schedule I was trying to follow would be too much. I need to put in some more work over the next 3 weeks to be ready for the Lost Dutchman Half, but I feel like I'm almost ready. Activity
  
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Sunday, January 25, 2009
Post-Chang's Recovery Run
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1 comment:
Oh no, I am so sorry to read about the passing of Lucy!
I am also exhausted after reading the accounts of your last two runs. I need a nap.
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