On Group Runs

I ran again with the Fleet Feet group this morning, this time at 7 am. I still had to wake up early, 5 am, to feel loose enough to run by 7 am. No food before the run. Just coffee with soy creamer. However, I did take 2 advil to reduce some PMS cramps I felt this morning, and that had some negative impact on my stomach by the end of the 7 mile run.

This was a scheduled rest day for me. However, I felt I should take advantage of the opportunity to run with the group, and I'm glad I did. I'll switch today and tomorrow on the schedule, and do the boot camp class tomorrow. I ran with Susan M., Chip B., and another guy whose name I failed to catch. I thought I would run at recovery pace, about 9:30, but I discovered that's impossible with these guys. We kept up an 8:45 mile for 5 miles, when I left and veered back toward my car. I didn't do the last two miles much slower, probably around 9:00. However, that's an MP run the day after a tempo run, and I need to take recovery time much more seriously. My left knee is feeling the pressure.

This completes my third week on Coach B's program, and I am growing more excited about it every day. I've been running so well lately that Coach revised my paces on the schedule, making them faster. He said I show much more fitness than he originally thought. :) But over-enthusiasm is dangerous, that's what got me injured in 2006. I've heard the marathon is an exercise in restraint, and that is true in more ways than one!