Location: Memorial Park
Distance: 3.0

Mile 1: 10:42
Mile 2: 10:43
Mile 3: 9:38
Total Time: 31:04

Avg/Max HR: 183/193

• Ran a loop at Memorial Park last night after. Despite yesterday’s clear and cool forecast for the evening, it was cold and wet. It was unusually empty for Memorial Park at 7pm, and I’m not sure if it was because of the time, the weather or the fact that it’s Christmas week. After that HARRA email from the woman who was attacked while running at the Park, I felt a little nervous…..but after some stretching and telling myself I was being paranoid, I headed off.
• During Mile 1, I had difficulty breathing. I couldn’t catch my breath and it felt like I was gasping for air although everything else felt fine. I noticed my heart was racing in a way that wasn’t in sync with how I was running, and I figured it must have been all the coffee I’d drank during the day. I’ve been drinking more coffee than usual and I guess it caught up to me during the run. Weird.
• By Mile 2, my breathing had settled into a rhythm and I was feeling more comfortable. At least I didn’t sound like an obscene caller anymore.
• The running path between the Mile 2 and Mile 3 markers isn’t as well lit as the other parts of the path. It also seemed like there were hardly any people around (I think I passed only 10 people the whole run), and that’s why I got jumpy when I suddenly heard feet behind me. I hadn’t heard anyone behind me up to that point, so I moved over to the right to let him/her pass. When no one passed, I slowed down but the runner behind me also slowed down. Maybe they were pacing off me (not that I’m a model runner by any means) but it was making me a little nervous. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a male runner about 5 feet directly behind me. And I mean *directly* - if anyone saw us, it probably looked like we were running single file. Since we were basically the only two people in that 1/4 mile stretch, it felt strange that he was running so closely behind me. I slowed down again to turn and really look at him, and he got the message and moved to my left. As we turned the corner towards the tennis courts, he sped up and was gone. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
• Overall the run was good, though I got lazy and stopped at the Mile 3 marker instead of finishing off that .1 mile for a full 5K. heh.
• My heart rate was surprisingly high. My avg/max HR was 183/193, but my effort felt more like 167/187. I guess it was all the caffeine that put my heart rate at a higher baseline than usual.
• On the injury front, the good news is that my right knee/ITB issues are virtually gone. Even during the 21-mile run, I barely felt a peep from the right knee. Yay for obsessive stretching, Icy Hot and SalonPas. However, I think I’ve been paying too much attention to my right leg. After the run, I started feeling some tightness and pain in my left hip and outer thigh. It’s the kind of pain that feels like it would feel MUCH better if only I could figure out how to crack or pop my hip joint, the way you crack knuckles or a crick in your back. I tried twisting and trying different stretches to pop it, but no luck. This is definitely a lesson learned in making sure I balance stretching/strengthening routines for both sides. heh.

Now I’m off to slip into food coma. We had our Holiday Lunch at work, and someone brought a homemade pumpkin cheesecake.