Tuesday 3/31/15

Today I was able to run outside in Boston for the first time this year, and it felt pretty good. I got home at 5:45, and the temp outside was still up around 48 degrees. Can't pass up an opportunity like that. It did take me about an hour to get ready though. I hadn't used my Garmin Forerunner 220 since July 2014, so I had to dust it off, charge it up, and update the software which was fairly quick and painless. Finding my ipod shuffle was another story. Like my gps watch, I hadn't used it since I stopped training last year, but unlike my watch, I hadn't really kept tabs on it. It took me about half an hour to find it before I could charge it and update the playlist a bit. Thankfully, I was ready to roll with enough daylight left for an hour of running. 

I did my standard out an back route with travels from the North End over to the Charles River, through the Esplanade, and comes back the same way I went out. It's a flat run with only about a minute or two of total stoppage time due to traffic lights. As standard run that I know well, I figured it would give me a good indication of my fitness. I ended up running a fairly even 6:20 pace over 8 miles. 50:50 Overall. My heel didn't feel like an issue at all, but at this point, it typically only bothers me on the days after a run rather than during the run itself. I did, however, feel some of the familiar tightness in the area behind my right knee. It amazes me that this could still be an issue after 9 months of no running, and it is something I will definitely need to watch. 

My current plan to build a base is to run on alternating days (allowing for back to back days when needed due to my schedule) with a gradual increase in pace and distance over time as I grow more comfortable.