Second run

First of all, I know I was supposed to run yesterday. But between an 8 AM final and starting work at 10 AM, there just wasn't enough time. I ran out of daylight. So I took a rest day yesterday, and went out this morning.

Today marked my first morning run- I got up at 7:30 (okay, the alarm went off at 7:30. I got UP at 7:45) and was out the door five minutes later, with some dried apple slices and a cup of water in my belly for fuel. It was cold- the occasional snowflake drifted by, and I was glad I'd bought a balaclava earlier in the week to keep my head and neck warm.

Running felt good. I was actually a bit slower than I was on my first run (by about 11 seconds, so it's not like it was much), which I put down to the early hour. My first run was well into the afternoon. But I felt looser and was definitely in less pain by the end: no twinges in my calf, no tightness in my achilles. My running intervals felt longer, although I think they were also a little less frequent, and I settled into a comfortable pace. I don't feel like I pushed myself too hard at any point.

I ran the first 3/16ths of a mile, approximately. I might have been able to push it to 1/4 mile, but I started feeling tired. I'm going to try to make it the full quarter on Monday.

But if I don't make it? No big deal. When I pulled up and stopped my stopwatch at the end of the run today, I saw the time and said aloud, "Oh well. Not the end of the world." And I felt it. And that, too, is progress of a kind.

Workout: Fartlek walk/run, 1.5 miles
Time: 21:54
Pace: 14:36 per mile