18 miles at Town Lake

David loaded me up with 3 consecutive days of running over the holiday weekend, and I made the most of it logging 18 miles out at Town Lake in Austin.

I've said it a half a dozen times over the past year plus on this blog, but Town Lake is hands down my favorite place to run in the world, period.

There are a few other places that come close. Running on the Timberman course in New Hampshire on a crisp late summer morning, maybe with a little fog is hard to beat. Running after work at the Memorial Loop at Memorial Park in Houston with a pare of shades on so you can people watch to your hearts desire is a good way to pass the time too.

But nothing tops Town Lake. You've got musicians, political activists, Asian Buddhists meditating, fast people, slow people, beautiful people (lots), ugly people (not many), pairs rowers, canoers, dancers, swimming dogs, leashed dogs, unleashed dogs, 2 cold water stops about 2 miles apart hosted by Run Tex, the local legit running store. It has it all!

The trails are crushed clay so they are good on the joints, and they dip down to the water line, then up about 20 feet above the water line and back down, so it is flat, but there is enough variability to give yourself a total body workout with no risk of an overuse injury. There are miles of trails, but the most popular sections run from the pedestrian bridge underneath Mopac down to 1st St. It makes for about a 4.2 mile loop. I ran this loop twice this morning.

The leaves were turning with lots of yellows, reds, and oranges. The temps were perfect. It was amazing.

I ran a hard 4.5 mile tempo run on Thanksgiving morning, a 5 mile recovery run on Friday, and a long 8.5 mile run this morning.

A funny thing happened this morning. I was very stiff starting out and my lower legs from the knees down were tight. My workout was 20 mins base pace, the 3x20 mins (15 mins base pace, then 5 mins marathon pace).

As the run went on, my HR in both the three base pace intervals, and the three marathon pace intervals got lower. In the base, it started at 158, then 156, then 154. Each interval also got faster starting at 10:00 pace, then 9:48 pace, then 9:32 pace. In the marathon pace intervals, it started at 162, then 160, then 155 and the speed of the intervals was 9:15, 9:09, and 9:12. A very strange phenomenon. I guess it was me just getting warmed up, and my lungs opening up as the run went on. It obviously felt good and not only did it feel like it was getting easier as I went on, but I guess the data would say, IT WAS getting easier. Weird, but I'll take it.

On Wed and Thursday, I headed over to Barton Springs, the spring fed public pool in Zilker Park to soak my legs in the constant 68 degree water which aided in recovery.

I'm back at home now hoping for some upsets in the top 4 of the BCS, but it isn't looking good.

At least my Owls are giving U of H all it can handle.