TrailHonky

Surface: Treadmill
Mileage: 1.2
Duration: 00:12:00
Pace: 10:00/m
Shoes: New Balance 809

I joined a local gym so tonight when I was there, I decided to give the treadmill a try. It is the first time I have been on one in years and tonight I was reminded of why. I constantly feel like I’m going to go flying off the back end of it (even at a modest 10:00/m pace) and when I’m done, I feel like I’ve been in a wave pool at a waterpark. At least it was some brief conditioning. One plus was that the treadmill had a two small electric-powered personal fans. Quite a nice touch.

Surface: Concrete
Mileage: 2.36
Duration: 00:22:56
Pace: 9:43/m
Shoes: Montrail Masai

I went out a little earlier than yesterday and the sun was definitely beating down. I have suspected my loop distance was not as long as I thought, so I had my Garmin GPSMap 60x with me (hence the mileage accuracy down to 1/100th of a mile). My suspicions were confirmed; I was cutting off a 0.3 mile section that left the loop 1 mile instead of 1.3.

The run was very similar to yesterday’s. I had the same hot spot on the ball of my left foot. Towards the end of the run, I also developed a bit of tightness on the top of my left foot. I suspect that I have not yet developed my stride and this is just normal soreness.

Though a bit bulky, the Garmin GPS is a nice tool I plan to use when scouting out new routes. I think it will be particularly helpful on trails without marked mileage. I used it on a recent overnight hike in Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness and it was great to know how far until the loop was complete. It also kept us moving in the right direction and looking out for notable landmarks at appropriate times.

And speaking of gear, today I broke down and ordered a new pair of Montrail Hardrock shoes. REI has them marked down to $69.99 with decent stock in many sizes.

Surface: Concrete
Mileage: 2.0
Shoes: Montrail Masai

I went out today considering putting in double the mileage I ended up doing but shortly after starting, I decided that it would be best to build my base back up slowly. It is something that I haven’t done in the past and I’m doing my best this time to do it right. So I chose a simple repeat of yesterday’s run, but did it twice. A good reminder that this was the right idea was the metallic taste in my mouth that I developed the last few minutes of the run. I am quite sensitive to heat. The pace I was running was probably a bit too much given the conditions and my lack of recent training; the pre-puke metal taste only confirmed that :-)

Again I had a bit of achilles tightness, but this time in both heels. By the end of the run, however, my leg muscles were not screaming like yesterday. I did have my normal trail shoes and socks on and they felt much better than my “street” shoes. I was feeling some hot spots on the ball of my right foot which reminded me it is probably time for new socks. The Thorlos just don’t have the same cushioned feel that they used to.

Surface: Concrete
Mileage: 1.0
Shoes: New Balance 809

Today was the first time I’d actually put on my shoes and run since The Grasslands Run back in March. I went out around 10:30am before the heat got too bad. Even after just a loop, I realize I have a ways to go before I am comfortable going any real distance. My left achilles was quite tight as were most of my leg muscles right when I fnished. That is pretty normal, however, after such a long break. I also wasn’t running in my normal trail shoes or socks. At a distance this small, though, it doesn’t really matter.

I plan to run on this path until I get my endurance back and then head to Lake Grapevine’s North Shore for some real trails.