Watermelon Sugar Runner's High

Yesterday's run and today's run were very different experiences. Yesterday felt sluggish, hard, and slow. Today felt peppy, easy, and comfortable. With six years of running underneath me, this is natural and to be expected. 

While there were notable differences in the weather between yesterday and today-- the return of sunshine and warmth after the overcast and mid-50 degree temps yesterday-- my mental outlook was also much better today. I was ready to have a good run with mini hill sprints on the docket. Hills are one of my favorite training tools to teach my legs power and stamina. Yesterday I incorporated some trails, which I always enjoy, but the rapid change in weather patterns and lack of sunshine and Vitamin D had me struggling. My legs also didn't feel fully recovered from Tuesday's track workout but they were definitely recovered this morning. 

One part of my training that separates me from my peers is my desire to loop a different route every day. I also can't stand out and backs. If I'm going out to train I want to make it fun for me by experiencing different neighborhoods, trails, and elevation gain and loss by constantly switching it up. My Strava has 300+ route ideas I've created (and counting) so I never get bored. I do have a few favorites I like to run every few weeks but don't force any sort of routine with that. I also love starting from different locations on the outskirts of town to get in mileage on 100% soft surface. Ann Arbor is fortunate to be surrounded by miles of beautiful and peaceful rolling dirt roads and I love getting out for calm and a break from the city pavement. 

Into the Barton Hills

Today I took it to the Barton Hills, one of my favorite neighborhoods just north of Ann Arbor, with a return through the Border to Border Trail by Bandemer and Argo parks. Considered to be one of the most popular running paths in Ann Arbor, I was glad to only have to pass by a few people on my way back into town. My 20-second hill sprints came up in the last 1.5 miles of my 8-mile run on a short but punchy section of W. Summit St. from N. Main to the railroad tracks. The first rep started out a little slow as I was trying to find my groove in a short time. Eventually I got down to low 7 min. pace, which translates to a Grade-Adjusted-Pace (GAP) in the mid 5s. I try not to get too hung up on pace for hill reps since the main focus is pouring power into the legs. After a jog back down to recover, I went up four more times before running more uphill on the way home. 

I was pretty satisfied with these easy, flowy miles and some very short hill work. This week my mileage will be back in the 50s as I get ready to incorporate longer workouts in the coming weeks. Tomorrow is long run day and I'm excited to drop some moderate-paced miles at the end of it for a fast finish. 

Happy Thursday and happy running!