Everything's back to normal

ORN: Today, I squeezed out 5.5 miles in 57'24". That included 0.5 miles around the track to calibrate my Polar S1 foot pod. That made my workout more consistent with my typical pace of around 10:20-10:30 per mile. Of course, today's workout included hills and a walk break. It might not be that bad.

After a couple laps around the track, I went to Cherokee Park and did two laps around the Scenic Loop. That means I managed to polish off my long run and run a hills workout at the same time. The hills in Cherokee aren't that bad, but I almost never run hills of any consequence. There are no hills downtown where I typically run, and my neighborhood is in a flood plain -- no hills here either. So when I do encounter real hills, it's often ugly.

But I did fine. The second lap was tough, but I powered up the last major hill as if there was a thread pulling me uphill. That imaginary thread got me through a tough patch in the work out, and after I crested it [near Hogan's Fountain], the rest of the workout was downhill or flat. No worries.

Now I have the rest of my weekend to relax. Starting Monday, I begin MARATHON TRAINING.