Most weeks, I can't wait for my Saturday run. However, this week . . . not so much. I worked out fairly hard this week, plus I had been on some medication for my sinuses, which was turning my digestive track into a freakin horror show. By the end of the week, I was feeling fairly well worked over and really wanted no part of any kind of run(s). Nonetheless, I knew that I needed to do at least four miles in order to complete my workout plan for the week. And, I also knew that my last run had just sucked so bad that I needed to put it in the past asap. Still, I sat around playing with my cat, Basil, and watching hockey, until it became apparent that I either had to go run or risk spending the rest of the day trying to traverses a netherworld of self-recrimination. And, personally I try to avoid all netherworlds, alternate dimensions, and the State of Texas at all costs. So, I decided that I this run was going to get RAN. I decided that I needed to go somewhere that I hadn't been in a while, but that I was familiar enough with so that I wouldn't be getting in over my head. Also, if it was a place where I could get to my car quickly or a somewhat clean restroom rather quickly -- all the better! The only place that I could think of outdoors was Shelley Lake and considering the weather was frickin' rockin' . . . Shelley Lake it was.
In fact, Shelley Lake was just about perfect. It is about a 15 min drive from where I live, has a two mile paved trail that loops around the lake, which is nothing more than a big pond really, the parking lot is close at hand, and there is a public restroom which would do in and case of extreme emergency. The trail is mostly flat with only a few minor inclines; however, it is very busy with walkers, bikers, dogs, and kids on the weekends. I used to take my old dog Jon Doe their for walks the first time I lived in Raleigh in the early 90's, but I have only been back once or twice in the last five years, so I knew that I wouldn't be either bored or surprised by the course.
I decided to do two laps around the lake and call it a day! Honestly, dare I say that I felt like . . . Crap. However, as tired and worn out as I felt, I was determined to gut out these four mile and not stop unless I had no other recourse. The first mile was a little rough, and I felt stiff. However, it went by really quickly because I had never run more than a few feet anytime that I had been to Shelley Lake in the past. Jon Doe would have loved to go for a run, but running was not my thing at that point in my life (sitting on my ass and eating Doritos was more my thing). So what had seemed in the past like a fairly long trail just Zooooooomed right on by in my mind. I ran it in 8:56.84
The second mile had one minor incline and decline, also you run atop a retraining wall for the lake, so it is a bit breezy. But all in all the second mile is just a easy as the first and had I been in a better frame of mind to start with, I am sure that I would have just loved this run. During the second mile, I gave thought to maybe doing a 5th mile, but those thoughts were fleeting. I did the second mile in 8:50.93
Mile 3 was a repeat of mile 1, and I really wanted to improve on mile ones time, but I was looking forward to finishing more than running, struggling more that I should have been, and thinking about how quickly Thursday's run had gone south, therefore I decided not to push too hard and just try to maintain my pace. I did mile 3 in 8:58.98
Mile 4 just came and went I pushed myself through it by just thinking about getting in my car and going home. And what do you know, it was my fastest mile. I finished it in 8:41.01. Used the walk back to my car as a cool down stretched right on the edge of the parking lot and headed home!
I did 4miles in 35:29.02 for a 8:51 pace.
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