The Race Log 11/27/08

Distance: 3.11 miles
Time: 31:50
Pace: 10:15/mile
Weight: 197lbs
Terrain: Rolling Hills
Temperature: Cold to start, but warmed up
Gear: Long-sleeved Adidas Climacool shirt, Adidas Running Fleece, Reebok stocking cap, Adidas long training pants over Adidas running shorts, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Race Number: 227
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Left calf and foot, right knee and shin
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, post-race refreshments
Shoe Mile Count: 118.71 miles
Days until Marathon: 52

As noted previously, my goal here was to get Jill across in a PR, and she was ecstatic to see that she'd done that by a considerable distance, crossing the line in 31:50. What was really good was that she managed to run negative splits. Although our first mile (which was a grind because of all the slow runners, children and walkers we had to weave around) was completed in 10:40, we still finished with a 10:15 pace, the last mile ran in under 10 minutes. Although it was a different kind of experience from other races I've done, I have to say I was quite pleased with myself for being able to nail the pace I was going for and help her manage that at the same time.

As for me, while the pace wasn't particularly challenging, most of my lower half was rather sore. My right knee stung a bit for a mile or so, though this didn't last too long. Elsewhere, both calves were tight and my right shin was a slight factor. I'm not overly concerned; while everything was rather more sore than on Tuesday, it still felt more like I simply had a lot of miles on my legs than an actual injury. Only my left calf was still painful after the race, and I'm hoping that stretches and possibly some ice will reduce any inflammation there. I am toying with the idea of cross-training tomorrow instead of doing the planned 6 miles, particularly as I have a big run Monday morning and will need to be fresh for that. At this point I don't see much to be gained from pushing it on a mid-distance run, but I'll see how fresh I feel tomorrow.

This was my last race before January. From here on, it will be an entirely solitary endeavor (except for the occasional recovery run with Jill). My focus from here will be completely geared towards getting to the start line healthy. 52 days until January 18th. That's not long, but plenty of time to screw everything up, so caution needs to be my raison d'etre from here on out.