Lonely Run

My training schedule from CES indicates that this week is a cutback week. So, I am trying not to fall into the over training trap. As of today, there are only two months separating me from the Chicago Marathon. My nervousness, I think, stems not from the marathon itself, but from the disaster that was last year's Chicago Marathon. I was out there as a spectator that day, watching my former roommate run the race, and I could barely stand it! I know that if I had tried to run it that year, I would not have finished. Instead, I opted to do the Dublin Marathon! The weather this past October 29th was 51 degrees and overcast. My favourite running weather.

But I digress...back to my cutback/recovery running week. Yesterday, obviously, I took the day off. My left quad is still hurting and I'm wondering whether or not I strained my IT band. Today's menu called for 45 minutes of cross-training. Since I've been doing doubles, I decided to add in a short run this evening. 40 minutes maximum. So, I headed out for my run after I returned home from work this evening. I decided I was going to walk the .56 miles from my doorstep to the Lakefront Path at Irving Park. Then, I would go for a nice, easy run. However, about .28 miles into my workout (thank you, mapmyrun.com), I realized I had left Joanie Garmin at home. Do I return to the apartment, get the Garmin, and then continue my workout? I decided not to...you see, I think every once in a while, you need to just enjoy your run. I know if I'd had Joanie with me, I would have been looking at my pace and my mileage, and then trying to pick it up a bit, instead doing some sort of speed work. I ran about 2 miles and once again walked back from Irving Park to my apartment, equaling another .56 miles.

And if you're keeping track, another gnat attacked my eyelid this evening. Son of a bitch. No one is safe...although I don't see anyone else flipping out the way I do when a gnat attacks them. Or perhaps I can't see well enough with a gnat in my eye.