That's more like it

Did 12.91 miles to begin the week today and even after the first few steps my legs felt lighter, more agile. I think I underestimated the healing time required after an all-out 26.2 effort. I used to call this my 12.99 run, but my Garmin has it .08 less. So 12.91 miles it is.

I ran my standard 4.3 mile 'loop' that I've been doing since I began running again last year. My first run here in Kittery was the 4.3 loop once around, complete with three hills I named 'Tom, Dick and Harry' after the tunnels in The Great Escape. The first time I ran it last fall I was doing it in over 44:00; now my best recorded single loop time is 33:53.

Today's run just felt good. Comfortable midfoot striking, smooth and balanced. I pushed on the third loop, finishing in 1:52:47, or 8:44/mile. 1823 calories burned.

For comparison's sake, I did the same exact 12.91 two weeks after Sugarloaf and did it in 1:54:00, then again a few days later in 1:54:15 - so by using that standard, I feel pretty good with where I am two weeks after the Maine Marathon and three to go before NYC.