After a full week off, I got back out on the roads today and boy am I feeling it! The first run back after any break longer than a few days is usually a tough go and this was no different. I did a simple out and back to Ft. McHenry but opted to return along Key Highway rather than Fort Ave to avoid that last hill, so the distance came out to be about 5.6 miles rather than the usual 6 even. I pushed the pace a little today on the first half of the run without really knowing it, so that's probably one reason I trailed off at the end.
Nonetheless, the weather was fantastic for running and I actually got to wear shorts AND a T-Shirt for the first time this season. I broke out my new National Half Marathon shirt. It was windy out (big surprise...it's been windy almost everyday since early February it seems) and I felt like I was always running into the wind, even after I had turned a corner or changed directions! Very frustrating.
Tomorrow I'll probably just do an easy 4 miles or so in the morning when Annie goes to her church job and then spend the rest of the afternoon studying the CFA books I borrowed from a co-worker. Woohoo!
In a race calendar update, I've added one race for certain to the Fall portion of the season and am seriously hoping I can do another one later in the summer.
I will, unless something huge comes up, be running the SunTrust Richmond Half Marathon on November 15, 2008. It's been newly added to the Richmond Marathon program this year and I've heard great things about Richmond from other runners who've run the race. The real reason I want to run this race, however, is that it takes place on my birthday and I think it'd be a great way to spend the day. Compared to how I usually spend my birthday (i.e. at work, at home, etc), running 13.1 miles would be pretty cool. Plus, the medal and t-shirt will always be a unique reminder of the occasion. So, I think it'll be worth the $60 entry fee.
The second race is the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon on August 9, 2008. The race starts in Georgetown, CO at 8,500 ft above sea level and proceeds to Idaho Springs, CO 1,000 feet below. Pretty awesome and a cheap race at just $30. Annie not only got the role of Mimi in La Boheme at Opera in the Ozarks, but she also got the lead in Emerald City Opera's production of Cosi Fan Tutte. Emerald City Opera is in Steamboat Springs, CO, so I could run the race as part of a visit out there to see her performance two days after the race. Right now this is just in the formative stages, but is definitely feasible.
And finally, I finally reached the conclusion that I need new running shoes today. I'm not hurting or have any injuries from worn out shoes, but I just didn't realize how many miles I had on my current Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7's. I thought I was somewhere around 370 miles, which is getting up there but not really grounds for new shoes yet. According to my Running Ahead journal, though, my shoes are north of the 460 mile mark! So, I went shopping last night, and found the new Adrenaline GTS 8's on sale for $78 at Runners Warehouse. If you haven't gone to this site yet, I'd strongly encourage it as they have FREE SHIPPING and a wide inventory. Their prices are pretty competitive on shoes and most apparel. Check it out! So, where I paid $95 for my current pair last July, I'm saving $20 on a brand new pair this year. Granted, I needed to actually figure out what type of shoe I needed last year and so had to go to the running store, which has higher prices, so that knowledge was certainly worth $20.
This time around, however, I know exactly what I want and I also know I don't want to pay $100 for freaking shoes, no matter how comfortable they are.
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