Erg

Distance 3 miles
Time 30:06

Final run before Sunday's 7-miler. I feel like I may be coming down with something, but I'm trying to convince myself it's just allergies. In spite of feeling sort of crappy, today's run felt surprisingly great. Have a great weekend!

April Showers

Distance 5 miles
Time 51:52

Another run at the gym thanks to the apparent monsoon that hit Philadelphia this week. Hopefully, I'll be able to run outside Friday. Still not sure about the orthotics.

3 Weeks to Go

Distance 4 miles

Time 40:49

After weeks of adjustments, shoe shopping, and more adjustments, I ran for the first time in my insanely expensive custom orthotics today. The left one felt great, but the right felt sort of unstable, like my shoe was a little too big. I'm hoping I can improve the fit through creative lacing and sock-wearing, but if not, it'll mean another trip to Temple Foot & Ankle Institute.

After the run, Todd and I had brunch at Dos Segundos, followed by a nice walk home and a nap on the couch. Can't ask for a much better Sunday.

Happy Easter to those that celebrate - and Happy Sunday to everyone else!

Cross Training

Distance Who the hell knows?

Time 1:30:00

I am generally pretty lax about cross training, unless you count yoga. It's all I can do to get up at an ungodly hour to run a few times a week - getting up at an ungodly hour to lift weights or hop on the elliptical machine just isn't happening. But my friend and coworker James invited a few of us to a spinning class at his gym, so I decided to go see what all the fuss is about.

Apparently, spinners like pain and a lot of it. After 45 minutes of listening to an incredibly fit, incredibly energetic woman command us to speed up, stand up, sit down, increase the tension, and "climb hills," the rest of the class was still cheering and occasionally pumping their fists in the air. I was trying to keep from falling off my bike. Spinning is hard. So hard that when the instructor invited us to a 30-minute "Abs & Bands" class afterwards, I lacked the energy to say no.

Prediction: no running on Broad - or anywhere else - for this broad tomorrow morning.

Stepback

Distance 3 miles
Time 30:17

It was 39° and windy this morning, so being the wuss that I am, I did my run at the gym. I felt a little guilty leaving Todd to run outside on his own, but I got over it.

This is a stepback week, which a lot of trainers recommend to enable runners to rest and reserve strength for upcoming weeks with longer runs. Next week, it's back to increasing the mileage, so I'm enjoying the short runs while I can.