Today’s run was planned to be a 5.0 mile recovery run, between 45:00 and 50:00 minutes.
Usually, I have a problem with running recovery runs waaaayyyyy to fast, so today, I focused on going slower and pulling back whenever, I started to speed-up.
Guess what? I did it!!! I finished in 46:46 for the 5.0 miles.
That is a great thing, I actually stuck with my plan to run slower and only do 5.0 miles, even though it was a gorgeous day. Yes I wanted to go faster, yes I wanted to badly add on the extra mile or two, but I didn’t and I my body is liking me 
now that I didn’t do it.
I definitely needed the run, after yesterday’s long 16 miler. My legs were pretty stiff and sore, especially my right hamstring, but everything feels a lot better now that I got them loosened up a little during this easy run.
I think the easy running is helping me this year. In the past I would have followed some of the “experts” advice and taken a day off after a tough workout like that. I always seemed to be still and sore all the time. Some might call them “junk miles”, but I feel better after the easy junk runs than I do before (when I am stiff and achy).
So I will just keep doing my so-called junk miles, which is something that works for me. Everyone is different and what works or what I like to do might not work for you, but for the first time in many years I am running consistently by having “active” rest days with a few “junk” miles thrown in.
The biggest surprise is that I am actually going out in back of the garage and lifting weights a couple of times a week. I made it out there again today.
And I hate lifting weights. No negative mind-set there – right 
. However, I also know that I need to do some upper body work in order to get better as a runner and do some lower body work to help keep injuries away.
I ran in the Newton Gravity’s just to get a little different motion to my leg muscles. They seemed to help a little and since the last shoe surgery, the heel cup no longer bites my ankle, which is a good thing, because I do like running in my Newton’s. So I am thinking about bringing these back into the rotation again, now that I am able to run in them pain-free.
One thing about the Altra Instinct’s though is I am noticing that my hamstrings are more sore than when I run in my other shoes which have a higher drop. This probably means that I am using my hamstrings more, so I might want to think about working to strengthen them a little more.
Now to get ready for more cardio i.e. lawn mowing and maybe some weed wacking after that. Gotta keep moving. Then tonight I get to do my July month in review post and that should be pretty damn good! I have done a couple of things that I haven’t done in years – if ever.
