Thursday, 10/16/08

I ran 3 miles today with a time of 26:33.

This was a good run. I felt very strong throughout the run. Due to general laziness, I didn't actually get started on my run until it was dark out (this will become much more common once daylight savings time kicks in). I very much prefer running in the dark, which likely contributed to me feeling better today than the past two. I also didn't sweat nearly as much. I think I may buy a sweatband, just to have it for very hot days. It can't hurt.

My legs did feel tight today, especially my IT (illiotibial) band on my left leg. They're a huge, thick string of muscle that run all the way from around your hip to your knee. These are often very tight in most people, and for runners, they get even tighter than normal. Fortunately, I have a foam roller, something I discovered during my personal training days. By just lying on a packed, hard roll of foam you can buy for 10-20 bucks, and rolling on the muscle that is tight, you get the equivalent of a deep tissue massage. Try it just once on your quads and prepare to be amazed at how tight they are. :)

So I will always be taking Fridays off from running. In general, I will do my long run for the week on Saturdays, but this weekend, I'm going to try something I've never done before on Sunday: a 10-K race. That's a 6.2 mile distance, and it both fits with my schedule and seems like it will be a good experience. So, with all that, see ya on Sunday!