Slowly Ramping Up

This week's long run was 12 miles, a distance which I haven't run in some time now. This is, for me, when things start to get serious. Including the long run, last week I ran for a total of 32 miles. I haven't done 30+ miles per week since I can't remember, so that's kind of a milestone for me. So far my body seems to be handling it fine. I'm seeing a chiropractor who specializes in active release therapy which has been successful in working out some old injuries to my left calf and right hip flexor. After ART, they haven't been a problem since.

So, yesterday I did 12 miles out on the southern section of the American Tobacco Trail in Morrisville/Apex, NC. I didn't realize why the first 6 miles were such a slog until I turned around and felt the wind in my face. Sometimes it appears still but the wind is blowing with you just enough that you get no breeze and it feels like running in place. That was the worst, especially considering the humidity! Anyways, I made sure this time to drink lots of water and took a few energy gels along the way. Energy gels are magic when you're starting to fade!

Here's a picture of me finishing up my most-mileage training week in years. Notice the sweat dripping off the bottom of my shorts...everything I was wearing was completely soaked in sweat, including my shoes. This is what summer training in NC looks like!