Week ending February 19

Monday 2/13  4 miles on Cottonwood. Recovery

Tuesday 2/14  4 miles, including 2 miles barefoot. There have only been a few days during my streak when I haven’t felt like running. Today was one of them. but out the door I finally went, having changed my plan from a hard 7 or so to an easy jog to the fields, and then my usual 2+ miles barefoot. As soon as I was outside I was fine: lately when I’ve been hitting the recovery runs, I tell myself that I’ve added another day as soon as I’m out on the street.

Wednesday 2/15  7 miles around the neighborhood, same as last Thursday. Once again, the miles did not roll off like before, but the time was the same. I’d been worried about not feeling like running, worrying that I was overtraining. Today felt good, though.

Thursday 2/16  4 miles easy on Cottonwood.

Fri 2/17  4 miles, including 2 miles barefoot. Felt great, but eased back in  anticipation of 20+ tomorrow. This was my 40 straight day running--thought about rain, frogs, temptation in the desert. Even though I’m not religious, the religious quality of 40 days made me laugh.

Sat 2/18  21 miles at Croft. Ten minutes in and on the first climb, my legs felt tired. I never felt great, but carried on. I fell today for the first time in a year or two: I was checking out ways around a mud puddle, and hit one of the stumplets (the technical term) that are scattered around the trails here in the floodplain forests. Down I went; fortunately, I was more than a body-length from the puddle, or I would have gone face first into it. Bristol took the opportunity to drink some water from said puddle.

The B-Dog

Bristol was again amazing. Though I was fading pretty hard at the end, he skipped away from me in the last mile up Centerline. 

at Southside: Southside Loop to Lizard to Rock Creek to High and Dry to Southside to Fern Gully for the first loop. Southside to High and Dry back to Southside, then out by Centerline for the second.

  

Sun 2/19  6 miles at Croft with Seth and John G. Lots of rain, slippery trails, and water. Fairly quick, and I was glad it ended when it did. When was the last time you went stomping in mud puddles?

at Southside: Southside Loop to Centerline.

Total: 50 miles in seven runs