Today's workout (trails): 3.9 mile at 8:58/mile
I was concerned that between Friday's long run in the city and yesterday's brisk run in the neighborhood that I'd be too tired to do much in terms of a workout today. A year ago I ran my first race, the 2009 Marcie Mazzola 4 mile run. I didn't place in my age group that day but I walked away with a prize nonetheless. It was a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant which I won because I had the closest birthday to race day. Tomorrow is my birthday but we're celebrating it today because it's the weekend. There's lots going on today so I decided to indulge in a trail run before things got too busy. Yesterday's overcast weather had transitioned to sunny skies by 8:00 AM today and the cool dry air made for perfect running weather.
I've become familiar enough with Stillwell to navigate it in a semi competent way. Between my basic knowledge of the trails and the direction of the sun I can usually make my way around without getting too lost. I successfully found the Black Trail this morning and followed it for a while. As I ran through switchbacks and roller coaster elevations I recalled that we traveled that way along the Xterra race course. I eventually reached a fork and had to choose a direction. I noticed a couple of runners a few hundred feet ahead so I began to follow them. There were lots of runners and mountain bikers on the trails today and everyone I encountered was friendly and polite. I caught up with the two runners ahead and passed them quickly. A few minutes later I came around a bend to find about six other trail runners who may have been waiting for the two that I'd just passed. We all said hello as I passed and I heard one of the woman say "I don't think I could keep up with him." Ha! If she only knew.
I wore my new iPhone armband which is better made than its predecessor but I had trouble getting it tight enough on my arm. I do have some upper arm development but this holder seemed like it was made for bigger biceps than mine. I used MotionX to record my path and I'm always surprised when I see where I ran versus where I thought I ran. I didn't go as far east as I planned but I covered a lot of ground north to south and finished with a loop around the open field trail. I ran faster than usual for a trail run and I noted again how well my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards handled all types of rock, scree, roots and sand without a problem. I've done a lot of running over the last week and I feel very good about my performance. Tomorrow is the Boston Marathon. I'll enjoy that vicariously on my rest day.
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