Getting My Legs Back

The plan was to do 5 miles a little easy: about an 8:30 pace.

What happened was 6 miles a little harder: about a 7:45 pace most of the way.

I was going to stay close to home this morning, but decided at the last minute to visit Lake Miramar.  I wanted to make use of the 1/4 mile posts to gauge my speed, and I just like the morning atmosphere there.

I set off in warm up mode, and covered the first 1/4 in 2 minutes flat.  It felt good, so I thought I'd just finish the first mile at that pace before slowing down by 5-7 seconds a quarter.  But once the first mile was done...I don't know...I just felt like picking it up a little instead of slowing down.  I figured I'd just do a mile a little more briskly and then pull back.

The 2nd mile passed in 7:45.  Then 1 mile briskly turned into 2...then 3.  Once I got to that point, I just figured what the heck, I feel good.  I'll just finish out at that pace.

I went past the 5 mile mark and chose to add an extra mile, going to the 1/2 mile post and turning around, and finishing up a couple hundred yards past the start pole to make up for the shortage in mile 5.  The 7:45 pace felt really comfortable, but not easy, per se.  My heart rate held at 140 for the first couple of miles, but then drifted up to the high 150s.  My breathing was not too heavy, but I was on my ventilation threshold, I'd say.

Legs felt heavy at first, but lightened up during the 2nd half of the run.  They felt springy afterward too.  It's later in the day now as I write this, and I'm feeling a little tightness below the right calf.  Or is that soreness in the tendon?  I can't tell.  I stretched out after the run, but I'll need to stretch again this afternoon or evening.  I'm fearful that the K-Swiss shoes might be responsible.  They're new and I stopped using them during the lead up to the marathon because I noticed my calves/Achilles feeling a little tenderness and decided to not introduce a new shoe until after the race.

The K-Ona has a more minimal heel, which I like a lot, in concept.  I think I've found a pretty natural gait with a more predominant mid sole to forefoot landing, and the K-Ona seems to encourage that.  Perhaps in my Sauconeys, I still cheated toward the heel strike more and they were forgiving of that.  The K-Swiss shoes are built in a way that makes the heel strike less desirable, so perhaps I'm forward more and that's why I'm feeling the strain.

I think that's okay as long as my heels and calves adapt to the demand.  But if they weaken from the stress, then I'll have to think about another shoe.  Fortunately, I'm not too heavily invested in the K-Onas since I got them on clearance.  I want them to work because I could pick up a couple more pair to rotate in and give me a good shoe for quite some miles.

Will keep tabs on this.

Oh, speaking of keeping tabs.  I hadn't had one of those scintillating scotoma episodes since I last blogged about it, but I did experience a 20 minute case on Tuesday during the conference and again today while in the grocery store.  I'm beginning to wonder if it doesn't have something to do with a particular kind of indoor lighting.  The last time was at Ralphs, and today was at Ralphs again.  Tuesday was in a hotel conference room, which had more muted lighting...so I don't know.  Again, no discomfort associated with it.  Just weird.