Running on flat terrain is not so easy
While I was generally pleased with how well I ran in last weekend's 10k, I was a bit surprised and dismayed with how tired my legs felt. I've been running slightly longer distances at slightly faster paces, and my legs usually still feel fresh afterwards. So I expected my legs to feel fine after the race, especially the following couple of days. It soon hit me. I have been running long runs and some of my tempos in Forest Park, but my legs usually still feel fresh afterwards. This was slightly baffling to me. I have been running long runs and some tempos in Forest Park, so the hills have trained my legs to power up and coast down. I confirmed my theory with a long run on mostly flat terrain yesterday, and sure enough, my legs started to drag along. 2 of my Hood to Coast segs have hills, but I recall one being mostly flag, so I guess I'll need to find more flat routes to mix in with the hills!
Basement demo
To save a bit on labor costs, Mike and I volunteered to do some of the demolition ourselves. After my race yesterday and after Mike's workout at the gym, he strapped the kiddo to his back, and we knocked down the walls in our basement. The work went surprisingly fast, and maybe that was due to the shoddy job at putting them up in the first place (which we found receipts in the wall dated back to 1984!). It was great fun, though, and I'm excited to attack the kitchen cabinets...until I realize what a pain it is to not have a working kitchen!
I took some photos, though the "before" photo was taken after we started taking the walls down.
Racing again
I ran my first race in nearly two years today. The last time I participated in a race was Hood to Coast 2007, and then I was pregnant shortly afterwards. It has been somewhat of a struggle to get back into a training routine, so I was a bit hesitant to sign up for the 10k. Mike convinced me to do it and reminded me that I've been running strong the last couple of months, and I'm glad I did! It was a great day for racing, and the course was quite nice, taking me to parts of the metro area that I have never been before. It also wasn't a very big race so there was some elbow room. Despite the flat route (I've been running on hills), I had a fairly good time and I'm starting to feel like a runner again. Added bonus: we saw a couple from our childbirth class there and met their adorable baby.
