Still running the roads...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The trails continue to be either covered with ice or under water in many spots, so I once again turned to the roads for my run. I start in the Metropark at least so that I’ve got something to see and then hit River Road, which as roads go is rather scenic. I ran past the marsh on River Road and noticed a large, dead animal about 10 feet in from the road’s edge. It was a beaver. He must have been trying to cross the road by his dam…there’s a pond on the other side…and gotten hit. I believe there is an entire family in the marsh…at least I hope so. I’m planning to get down there and take some pictures soon, so I’ll know then.

I ran the same course I did on Monday and decided to challenge myself to do it a little faster, but found myself at the turn-around about 15 seconds slower. Well…this would provide a good opportunity for a negative split (second half of a run faster than the first half) and since I was a full minute slower on the second half on Monday, I figured it would provide a good workout.

I succeeded in returning faster and it actually felt pretty easy. I know I’m slower than I was in the fall when I was running regularly and I suspect I’ve put on 4-5 pounds of winter weight…which I’ll peel off in the next 4 weeks before the birthday triathlon. I know I’ve not been as disciplined with what I eat since the holidays…they always throw me for a loop…so now is the time to get back on track. Well…maybe after St. Patrick’s Day…

Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 145 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 675.