1/2 Marathon Training: Week 4, Run 3

Week 4 of training concluded with my first group training run. It was a group run in that we all started and finished at the same time, but we set off at our own paces, which made sense, obviously. I ran with a friend part of the way but was mostly off on my own. It was 55 degrees mid-morning but felt much colder under a dark and drizzly sky. The sun was nowhere in sight. I missed it. Even the pelicans looked cold, puffing out their backs and sitting mostly still on the water.

It was a 45-minute run, and I got 4.35 miles in (10:20-minute miles as my average pace). Nothing spectacular but decent for me. Definitely faster than I would have run it a month ago. Our training group leader jogged beside me for a bit to give me some form pointers ... relax my arms and shoulders more, lean into the run a bit, and mostly step off mid-foot and front of foot instead of heels.

Even though the weather was vile and gross, I have to say that I mostly enjoyed this run a lot. I got a better night's sleep last night than I have in weeks, which probably helped. I look forward to more group runs and starting to work on interval training to hopefully improve my pace. It feels good to have four weeks of training behind me, and I look forward to the next 14. (Good Lord. That's a long time.)

After the run, I came home and baked pumpkin muffins. I just ate one in my bathrobe straight out of the oven. It was perfect. In other news, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very cute, and Dave Matthews does a surprisingly good Ozzy Osbourne.

Today's Best Running Song: Bend and Break by Keane. First delivered unto me via a mix CD by my friend Grace. One of my favorite running songs, for sure.