Day 45

Supposed to do 7 today but I decided to do my long run instead. I figured I'm plenty rested from last week and it'll be a pain in the ass to try to get it in this weekend since I'm going to be on a houseboat trip so I might as well knock it out now.

Distance: 14.0 miles
Duration: 2:01:22
Pace: 8:38
HR Avg/Max: 144/160
notes:

Drove out to the Rock Island trail for a nice off road course. Figured it would be shady, relatively flat, and the path would be easier on my legs then concrete.

The first couple miles were pretty rough. My left leg was still tight and cramping in the shin and calf and even in the quadriceps. I stopped a couple times to stretch and walk it off. By Mile 4 I finally loosened up and was feeling good. I tried to keep a steady pace with my heart rate below 150. Mile 5-7 were on an incline so I was starting to feel kind of roughed up by the halfway point. Luckily it was an out and back run which meant miles 8-10 were on a decline. I recovered quickly and got a pretty good groove going until about the 12 mile mark. At this point I started to fade and my legs were feeling exceptionally tired. No worries though... I kept telling myself that this was what the long runs were all about and these last two miles would help my body adapt to running more efficiently in the future. I tried to focus on keeping a good form and not lumbering. I finished the last mile strong pushing my heart rate up to 160. Right now I'm tired but not exhausted. I was happy to see that I could keep up an 8:40ish pace without getting my heart rate up over 150... My legs are feeling stronger every day and I'm really starting to feel the results of my training!