Not sure why, but I can never get out of bed on the weekends. I woke up groggy today. That and knowing I couldn’t run until early afternoon contributed to a morning of laziness. The late start (1:30pm) is probably for the best as I finished yesterday’s LR at 2pm and it’s wise to recover for at least 24 hours before attempting a recovery run.
I am liking this lingering fall weather (50* and sunny). I wore a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, gloves and cap. Other than a nagging groin issue, my legs felt no ill effects from the 15 miles. Therefore, I let it hang out a bit today. I didn’t push it, but I just let the legs dictate pace. I was pleasantly surprised that I was in sync immediately. Without looking at my watch, I can tell I was somewhere between tempo and easy pace. Despite wanting a nice easy recovery, when all systems are go, I will let it hang out. I felt like this would be a good fitness test after yesterday’s LR. If I could hang near a tempo pace less than 24 hours after putting in some distance, then I’m improving. For 5 miles and without hammering, I came within viewing distance of tempo pace at 8:12 (goal is 8:00). After a water break, I finished out the balance of the run at a more relaxed level. Overall, today was a bit more than a “recovery run” with 8 miles at 8:19. There are days when your body is asking for a fitness test. Today was one of them and I think I passed.