Notes
Today's theme: training through adversity. Going into this run I was very sore. The willPower and grace class yesterday was the first of 8 in a series, and it was very heavy on legs (lots of squats and lunges). Then I ran 9 miles last night with 6 at 6:48 pace. When I woke up for karate this morning, it was hard to walk so I brought my PVC roller to Gold's gym with me. I spent about 10 minutes rolling out my hamstrings and glutes, which did help.
Usually my times on these runs gets too fast without me really trying, but I maintained an average 8:30 pace for the first five miles, and was happy to. I was loosened up by then, and pushed for a little more speed, but it was challenging. I wanted to slow down (or even stop) but I pressed on. I remember the miles getting a bit monotonous, probably because I was missing my bud Dimitri. Once I exited the canal path I was excited for the change of scenery. But the very beginning of mile 13 included the uphill climb in Kingston, and my heart rate showed it, as well as my pace. For my last mile, I had to race the traffic light at Route 1 to squeeze through just before having to wait for the light to cycle. That brought down my pace for that mile to be the fastest of the run, which I didn't think would happen given how challenging it had been up to that point. More good training here. Calves are feeling better. My left knee has been sore today but the inflammation in my right knee seems to have abated.