Tyring to Get Back to It

Well, I finally got out for a short run. It felt, well, weird. I felt slow. I felt out of breath. But the significance in what I didn't feel - pain! On the one hand I am pretty excited. On the other I am discouraged. I felt like I had just started making some big strides (no pun intended) in my running - knocking over two minutes off my 10K PR, running more efficiently, going longer each week, etc. Yesterday I felt as though I was laboring to get my four miles done. My pace was slow (10:15) and my heart rate high (83% MHR).

But, there were some bright spots. As mentioned before, there was no pain. That was a huge relief. I can't tell you how worried I was that there was something structurally wrong with my hip. Also, at my turn around point I still felt as if I could go another mile or two without any problems.

I was looking forward to a good half marathon in a couple of weeks. I am coming to grips that I won't be running at peak form. I was shooting the possibility of breaking 2 hours. In all likelihood, I probably will be somewhere in the 2:10 to 2:15 range. Still a PR, but a little disappointing knowing that I can do better. But, I need to remind myself that I need to be patient. I need to stay healthy and pain free. That way there will always be another race on another day. I just want to make sure I'm not going to go out too far too fast and end up on the bench again.