Track Tuesday + New Goodies

Final verdict on the ice bath: totally effective and worth the 10 minutes of frozen agony! My muscles were noticeably tight for a couple days after my 20 miler Sunday, but were not nearly as sore as usual. In fact, I felt surprisingly strong at track Tuesday night. I got some great speedwork in with a warm-up and strides, then 2x200, 1x400, and 1x800 with recovery laps in between, followed by a nice cool down. Wednesday I had planned to try and squeeze in a quick run after work, but I had an extra credit film screening I had to go to for a class at 6pm, so there just wasn't enough time. Instead, I upped my usual midweek run mileage with a 6 miler to the pier yesterday. I felt really strong except for a few tweaks in my calves and shins, but still ran my best time for this route. However by the end, my right glute was killing me! I think it was overcompensating for my lower legs : / Anyway, today was another rest day and tomorrow morning is another TNT training and a big milestone for all the participants - a one hour run! Since I am now officially in taper mode, Sunday I'm aiming to do only 14 or 15 miles : )

This week I finally received Born to Run in the mail and haven't been able to put it down since (not good since I'm in the final throes of the quarter with finals fast approaching!). Initial thoughts are that this is a book every runner - hell, every athlete - needs to read. The author immediately enthralls you with tales of some of the most famous runners in the world, intertwined with glimpses of the mysterious but immeasurably talented Tarahumara tribe. After tracking them down in the fierce Copper Canyons of Mexico, he discovers that it's not so much superhuman ability that separates the Tarahumara from the rest of the running world, but rather their innate and pure joy of running. It's so refreshing to read something that can look past the science, media, and "modernization" of running and focus in on the real essence of running. What might that be exactly? Well, I'm not quite sure yet, but I'll let you know : )

I also got another running goodie in the mail this week, my new iFitness belt! I'm not a fan of fuel belts and only wear them when absolutely necessary. I just hate the feeling of an overstuffed pouch sitting on my hip for several hours. But after reading a great review of the iFitness ultimate racing belt, I just had to try it out! The big draw for me was that it has 6 elastic slots on either side of the actual pouch to carry Gu - no more trying to stuff 6 of those things in a little pouch! Instead, I can fill the waterproof, sturdy, super-soft pouch with my phone or camera, ID, and other essentials. I'm planning on testing it out Sunday so look for a review soon!