Pep in my step!

Finally, finally, finally today I had a good run. No. A great run. I have been feeling so slow since IM CDA. Just plodding along. Today, I ran significantly faster than any run in the past 4 weeks. Maybe it was the compression socks I wore all day yesterday. Or maybe it was the fact that I swam this morning which woke me up and warmed up my legs. I don't know why I ran faster but I am hoping the zip in my legs sticks around a while. I went to the pool with Dan this morning and swam 3600 yds, which also went really well. I swam the main set (3 x 500) at 1:30 per 100 pace. Smokin'... well for me anyway. I debated whether to hit the treadmill upstairs or to brave the heat and run outside. At this point it was 8:30 am so two hours later (and much warmer) than I usually run. I decided to run outside because in reality I can only tolerate the treadmill for about 20 minutes before I am bored out of my mind. So I ran a 5 mile loop from the club.... at 9:03 pace. Woo Hoo!! I have been averaging 9:40-9:50 per mile for the last 4 weeks. I tried not to get frustrated with myself since I was recovering from Ironman and it's been miserably hot. But seriously. 9:40? Can I run any slower? 9:03 is progress. It won't be long before I'm back in the groove of things. And in another 8 weeks I should be ready to start my training program. I've been a little worried that I wouldn't be ready since my runs have been so slow. At the very slowest I have to run 8:23 pace for 26.2 miles. I'd like to run 8:10 pace or better. That will put me at about 3 hours 33 minutes. Nice little cushion. Once my training starts and I've had a chance to run a couple of half marathons, I'll have a better idea about what is realistic. Who knows, maybe sub 3:30 is in reach!