Turning the Corner

Westerly view from Singletree Trail - May 3, 2014.  Beautiful.

As mentioned in prior posts, I am attempting to rebuild fitness...an effort that has been taking much longer than in any prior instance where I've had to build back up again.  "Frustrating" would be the word that most aptly describes the current experience.  However!  Progress is being made; the plateau is shifting!

Qualitatively, I am noticing an uptick in energy and runs are beginning to flow.  Better yet, there is quantitative evidence to support the theory that a return to fitness is an achievable goal:

• I got up the gumption to race!  A 15k!  More slowly than years past, but much better than I had expected.  I would have been disappointed with anything slower than 99 minutes, elated (astounded, in fact) if faster than 90.  In actuality, I crossed the line at 91:57 and felt great having run a very steady pace throughout (purposely conservative in the very low 10s for the first 5 miles then dropped into the upper 9s for the last 4+).
• I logged over 200 miles for April - my first over-200 month since last April.  More than a number, the 200+ reflects a consistency which has been sorely lacking and much desired.
• As part of the quest for 200+, I logged 57.5 miles last week - my highest mileage week this year and only the third week in the 50s for 2014.  And they weren't just slogging miles, nope nope!  They included two speed workouts (one 2k, 2x1k, 4x500m workout and the other 4 x 8 minutes hard/3 minutes easy) as well as a very long run.  Which brings me to:
• I completed a 3-hour run yesterday!  On a gorgeous day (as illustrated by this post's pictures), the last hour with two good friends, and finished tired but strong.  My last 3+-hour run: April 28, 2013.  It is good to be back.

Easterly view from the same spot/same time on Singletree Trail.  Peaceful.

I've always considered the true test of fitness to not just be the workout, but the day-after-workout.  How does one feel the next day? How well does the next run go?  So how did today's post-57.5-mile-week/ post-3-hour-run test go?  Splendidly!  Mondays I run to my volunteer job - a run that often takes over 40 minutes (depending on fatigue and weather) but has been done as quickly as 37 minutes.  Today: 39 minutes and feelin' smooth!

Weehaw!  The comeback is for real!