Gang's all here

I thought the Run Camp numbers were low this year, but from the look of it, things picked up. That's a herd of people!

It's been hard to think of topics to talk about week in and week out, so this blog is getting a little dusty. Last year, it seemed like each week was an adventure and a accomplishment. This year, it's "I've done this before and I know I can do it." The adrenaline rush and the excitement levels aren't the same. Heck, I know that energy pulled me through some of the miles last year. Things are much more relaxed this time around. So, this week it was fun to see the half marathoners show up and feed off their energy.

On a physical level, it's interesting the difference from last year to this year. After a long Saturday run, I was done and wouldn't even consider running on Sunday. This year already, there have been a number of times where I've done this. I'd also judge how tired I was by the walk up the stairs at the office in the morning. So many times my ankles and legs would just ache going up them. This year, those same steps the only grief I get is knowing I'm heading to work.

This week's run was one of the hardest runs training last year. I haven't progressed to the point where you are going to hear me brag at how easy it felt this year, because that won't happen and I doubt it could EVER happen. With two miles to go, I was ready to be done. Afterward, I looked at my stats. This year I ran this hell route a full minute per mile faster than last year. That's not one minute faster, that's fourteen minutes faster overall, which I think is damn amazing. Technically, it wasn't my fastest half marathon time, but that thirteen miles was relatively flat. This route had way more elevation change and the slight time difference between the two, this hands down, is the best run I've had. Oh and did I mention I had a head cold? Maybe I was in the zone, maybe I'm getting better, either way I'm excited for the results.