On Friday, I ran an easy 8 miles, which was the longest I've run since my half on 10/11. It felt harder than it should, thanks to the chest/lung stuff I've been fighting. Yesterday, I ran an easy "recovery run". I'm still learning about the purpose of different types of runs. So far this year, I've put in plenty of "easy" runs...but they weren't exactly "recovery" runs. So yesterday, I set out to run at a slower pace than I have all year: 3.5 miles at a 9:19 pace. I was proud of it. That's about a minute per mile slower than my "easy" runs. This type of run, long overdue, will be important in my arsenal as I start marathon training early next year. It's a great way to get in the miles, while helping the legs to actively recover from hard runs (i.e. hills, speed, long). I'm not sure why it took me so long to come around on this. I guess one positive thing about having an illness that seems to hang on forever is that it can force you to back off on the pace. My heart rate was nice and low, too.
Miles this week: 20.5
October mileage: 75.6
I agree, those slow runs are more beneficial that people give them credit for.
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