The hardest run...

...is the one that hurt your ego. Running a marathon slower than intended can be a downer for some, but for me it was still a joy to finish. However, there is a training day in my regiment that I simply could not do --- run for one hour in heart zone 1 (i.e... VERY VERY SLOWLY). Not just slowly like I am out of shape, but jog more slowly than some people are walking. Maybe if I am in better shape I can move at some reasonable speed with my heart rate under 110 or so, but for now, that workout is impossible.

Why was it hard? I am somewhat embarrassed to be running that slowly, but as long as I can out-move people walking their strollers I don't feel too silly. Perhaps it is the paradox of some training routines that I need to get better used to. I still did a similar workout... just in heart rate zone 2. That was still much slower than I like, but it was very easy to maintain for 60+ minutes and I felt great afterward. I will do my utmost to follow this plan for at least 1 month.

April 10th -- Tarheel 10 Miler. Confirmed.
Goal: 8:00 pace
Realistic Goal: 8:30 pace
What will happen: 9:15 pace.

Two great days. Offroad running and on road biking.

Not a terribly fast run, but I ran in my crazy Vibram shoes and ran on mountain bike trails... This was extremely satisfying. I really enjoy dodging rocks, roots, and jumping over streams. The Vibrams made it a lot more personal... especially when stepping on sharp rocks. Finished the day by wading in bolin creek to cool off my feet and knees and clean the mud of my shoes. Good day!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27627746


Sunday I had my first decent bike ride on my new Triathlon bike. After about 15 minutes I finally had the aero position down fairly comfortably. I'm still not in the best shape, but the 2nd half I was over 20mph most of the time and enjoyed passing many road bikes. Another good day!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27627730