Back in the saddle, or whatever

I planned on taking two weeks off from the half marathon before I started running again but after about four days of doing nothing, I started to get a little antsy. I stretched that out another three days of being really antsy before finally caving and going for a nice 5-mile run after work tonight. My legs were cranky and they didn't seem to settle down until around mile 3. It was 58 degrees when I took off, which meant that I was able to wear the new shorts I picked up in San Francisco. They're really comfortable, and best of all, did not ride up. At $28 they're a bit pricey, but I think I'm going to invest in a few more pairs anyway. Shorts that don't up are really hard to find. I know because it's been my quest for the past four years to find them and I have 20 or so pairs of shorts that are too annoying to run in collecting dust in my closet to prove it, too. I don't even want to think about how much money I have invested in that pile. Oy.

Next up on the race calendar is the 10k (6.2 mile) Hodag Run on June 28th. It's a small race in downtown Rhinelander sponsored by the local YMCA. Rhinelander's a fun place, especially Lurv's Kozy Korner Bar, so it should make for a really enjoyable weekend.

I'm going to try to improve on my fastest 6-mile time, which was 1:06. This means I get to start doing speed work, which basically means run really, really fast for a short period time, then rest a bit, then do it over. And try not to injure myself in the process. Sometimes I really wish I had a coach because I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to training. Until now, I've just found some plan on the intarwebz that didn't require anything but running and followed it. That plan has worked, but now that I know that I can run HM distances, I want to start improving my times. I'd really like to be able to run a 2:15 HM some day. That would require that I shave a minute off of my pace, which I think I can do, but I'm just not sure how to go about doing it.

Speaking of training, Josh is going to walk the 10k while I run and he's going to officially train! Using a plan and everything! I'm not sure he'll be as nuts about analyzing his data as I am, but he's already asked to borrow my old Forerunner 201, so there's hope yet!