running away from it all

yeah, I'm running. a lot. consistently. and with purpose.

after our triathlon on September 30th, it took about a week to recover from my 3 mile run. but then I started running slowly and for short durations.

last week, we started trail running. I'll admit, I like running on the treadmill because I can force my pace faster, but my IT bands always get inflamed from the treadmill. so, the dutchboy, Julie, and I ran at Arastradero. it's one of the few "dirt" trails where you can run with a dog, and even though it's kinda up and down, it's a good steady workout. and it feels so good to run on the dirt that I could immediately run longer than I could on the treadmill -- WITH NO PAIN!

so, in the past week, I've run trails, a soccer field, and the high school track. and I've been able to bring my pace down each time I run. at this point, I'm really just focused on increasing duration, but at some point in the near future I'll start some speedwork, too!

so far I've been pretty injury-free. my calves/achilles tendons got tender from running circles on the soccer field and the track. but that's minor and my recovery was very fast. and I got a blister tonight from a poor sock choice (lesson learned: don't ignore hot spots!!!).

btw, running with the garmin is way cool! not only can I see my pace as I run, but I can analyze my training when I'm finished. I think I like it more for running than I do on the bike.

Saturday we're racing in the Salmon Duathlon in Knight's Ferry. I'm excited because I know I can run the distance now. My bike training has been pretty darn consistent this month, too, so I'm feeling pretty good for an off-season race. I've never done a duathlon, but I'll try a brick tomorrow to see how it feels.

next on tap, the Run to the Far Side post-Thanksgiving. then I need to find a 10k for December. and if all goes as planned, I'm hoping to run in the Cabo Wabo 1/2 marathon in mid-January. yeah, it's in Cabo San Lucas -- why not, right?