Saturday, March 12, 2011

Taper time

It was nice to have a pretty decent day for a long run outside for a change. It could have been maybe a little warmer, especially into the wind, but it wasn't bad at all. Two layers and light-weight gloves, and I was comfortable as I ran the 2.5-mile loop at English Landing Park.
(For the record, a much younger person with a body shaped like a V was out there with shorts, shoes and no shirt. I don't know if he got cold - or got the girl, as they say in the movies. I only saw him once despite the many loops I ran. As for myself, a middle-aged woman complimented my yellow hat).
For some reason I felt content with making multiple loops right in the park, rather than running out 7 miles and back 7. I figured if I could run 10 miles going nowhere on a treadmill, I could handle a few loops in the park. Besides, returning 7 miles into the wind didn't seem like much fun.
I did 14.06 miles, and I averaged 9:35, which was faster than last week's long run. That one was into a stiffer wind and featured a number of rather severe hills. This run was flat. I wasn't thinking about speed at all, though. I just wanted to remain comfortable, which for the most part I did not do. I think I set a pace that was a tad bit too fast. I'm not in bad shape, but I really don't have the leg strength and stamina I'd like to two weeks before my half. The taper, which starts now, should help, though.
Exactly 33 miles for the week. -- Rob

1 comment:

Mike said...

You mean to tell us that a woman looked you up and down and all she could find to compliment you on was your hat? Tell you what, Robbie, if it's the same hat you've been wearing, SHE LIED!