Have had two real good runs in the last couple of days. Tuesday was the first meeting of the MRC (Men's Running Club of Kansas City) of the year. Two of us were able to run, and two had to walk because of injuries. The two of us who ran did 4.11 miles in 45:19 (an 11:02 pace), which is a very easy pace. What made it a great run, though, was the fact that it was the first time I'd been able to run with the group since April 2010. It was early in May when I got hurt. I wasn't able to run with the MRC for the rest of the year.
Today's run was good because I felt very strong and confident and was able to turn in my fastest session of the year. My first 30 min. were done at a 9:41 pace, which is not remarkable, but pretty good considering I started slowly.
I moved to a different treadmill for the second half of the run and averaged 8:44 for 36 min. The overall run was 7.23 miles in 1:06:00, an average pace of 9:08.
This was an encouraging run, coming as it does exactly one month before my scheduled half-marathon. I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to muster any speed, which is important even in a distance event. If your muscles are trained for speed they will expel lactic acid much more efficiently. Lactic acid tends to build up during those long runs, and once it gets to a certain point the muscles can't function anymore. I've been there several times.
Next goal: 13 or 14 miles this weekend.