Slug-a-lug-lug

Another 3-miler today. Due to my neck issue I had last week, it was my first run in a while. And boy was it tough! I just felt so sluggish the entire run. Here are some of my thoughts about why that was:

• I started the run at a faster clip than I should have. I think I ran my first mile at around a 7:30 pace!
• Baxter is currently spending a few weeks at my parents' place since Luke and I will be traveling for 2 weeks beginning this Friday. Stay tuned! Because I didn't have a running partner, I didn't have anyone to measure my pace against.
• I had a board meeting to get to later tonight, so I felt rushed for time.
• I ate a burger and fries for lunch.
• I knew it wasn't the healthiest decision, but I didn't think about how it would affect my run.
• It was hot this afternoon!
• Even though it is hard to get out of bed early in the morning, this warm streak is really making that look like a better option!

Again, I forgot to stop my chronograph at the end of the run, but my average mile pace was somewhere around 9 minutes. I walked about a block and a half when I hit the hill going back into downtown Saint Paul, which evened out my average pace from my first mile.

Pain Tracker

• Left ball of foot hurt before and at beginning of run. After a few minutes, it stopped hurting.

I noticed that my right heel has started hurting in the past when I run up hill. I mentioned this to my chiropractor, and he suggested I shorten my pace when I go up hill. Once I caught my breath today and started running again up the hill, I shortened my pace and my heel did not hurt!

Since I did not have a running partner today, I looked for other people to run against, so that maybe my competitive spirit could motivate me instead. It helped a bit, but there were very few people out in the hot weather.