Back In Action

There are many stories to tell about how I stopped running and started back up. I ran the 2013 Thunder Road Half Marathon this past Saturday, and finished 11 minutes faster than I did two years ago, so there’s lots to write about there as well. But tonight, I have to write about my first post-race run.

On Sunday, I was sore all over and could barely move. I felt every inch of the 13.1 miles from the previous day, and I felt every second of the 40 years I’ve lived. Monday, I felt better, so I was hoping I’d be ready for a short run this morning. When I got up, I felt OK. Not great, but good enough to give it a shot. Well, I started running, and I didn’t stop for 2.3 miles. Not only that, but my pace was better than any of my training runs over the past 4 and a half months. I couldn’t believe it. I do normally take walk breaks whenever I feel tired, or if I feel like I’m going too fast and I’ll wear myself out. But today, I just kept going. Sure, my weekday short runs over the past 2 months had been around 4 miles, so this was just over half my usual distance. And I admit that the course I took this morning avoided the nasty hills of my neighborhood. But still, this was one of my fastest paces ever, and just 3 days after I finished a half marathon.

So, yeah, I’m back.