Galloway Run #12 Complete

Boy, this morning's run was a hot one! I'm glad I started early, got about 3 miles in (starting about 5:10am) before the regular Galloway run at 6:30. The time & temp sign I passed on the course around 5:15am read 82F, and it warmed up pretty quickly as the sun rose. Those first 3 miles were relatively flat, but the regular course for the Galloway group was pretty hilly through the North Hills neighborhood. I was glad I only had two more miles to do. My new training plan called for 5 miles today, but I ended up doing 5.26 miles in 1:45:01, for a 19:57 average pace. It's my best average pace for a long run since shorter mileage in early July, so I'm pretty pleased with the progress, especially for a hot, hot day. The rest of the group did longer miles, but I was happy to complete the assigned mileage on my newest training schedule. Week #1 is in the books!

Afterward, I got a little bit of walking in by walking to the nearest Panera, instead of driving, to meet some Galloway friends for breakfast. From there, George and I went to a nearby gym that has a saltwater pool AND hot tub, great for soaking!

I'm still having some lower back pain, muscle spasms, I think, which I first noticed after the run. I did a little hand massaging, then foam rollering, but both hurt!! I'm off to try an ice pack.

Here's my course map of today's run.

Galloway Long Run

This morning the Raleigh Galloway group met at the Athlete's Foot store in Cameron Village for our long run. This course has a reputation for being hilly, and it was very humid and hot today too! It ended up taking it slower than usual, but I made it! My goal for today was 6-7 miles. I did .20 mile as a warmup before the official group run started. Once the run got going, I made it to the bridge over I-440, the first time I've made it to the bridge this year, so it was a personal milestone. Making it to the bridge also meant I was at the 3-mile mark and had 3 miles to get back to my car! It was a long 3 miles back, and my 30 sec/30 sec run/walk intervals broke down going back. The pain in my right toes returned in the late miles, a little discouraging. I was glad to finish my longest run/walk of the season, though. Time on my feet. It's done.

.20 mi 4:19
6.02 mi, 2:03:00