September 29, 2008 - 4 mile run

This morning was a 4 mile run. I've decided to continue with my taper and consider last week gone. I struck out this morning with a knee brace and a knee strap on my left knee (yes...both) and a knee strap on my right knee. The run was refreshingly good. My form is awful and I had to spend mental energy correcting for it, especially my arms. My left knee was sore but held up. I'm really feeling the pounding of the pavement though. I'm not as enamored with my shoes as when they were new. But as of today they have 301 miles on them. That might have something to do with it! I made it two miles in 23:00 and I was excited about that. Somewhere around three miles though I stopped my watch and adjusted my knee strap. Apparently, I didn't turn it back on because when I checked my time at 3 1/2 miles it said 34 minutes. So based on my first 2 mile pace I was on track for a 46:00 final time and I don't think I was longer that 48 minutes. A very good run and very needed on a mental block level. I did have to watch out for the urban wildlife this morning though. A little yappy dog was being walked when I first started out. It's owner was shushing the dog and apologizing to me as I ran by. Then I saw a big raccoon lumbering about just after I passed the 2 mile mark but, thankfully, it crossed the street before I got to it. Not too long after that, a mouse or chipmunk darted across my path. Soon after that I saw another object a couple of blocks away. It wasn't moving so I was starting to plan how to get around it without bothering it. As I got closer, I realized that it wasn't an animal...it was a fire hydrant. Needless to say, I was able to run by that unscathed. I know, I know, I'm heroic. Finally, a biker nearly made me jump out of my skin because of his wandering head lamp. Plus, since I was listening to music, I didn't hear him coming up from behind me. Ah, early morning runs can be such an adventure in my imagination! I'm just so glad I enjoyed this run. It's been a couple weeks overdue.