Yesterday was a great day for my conditioning. This was very likely due in large part to some combination of enjoying training and possibly just being stupid. Today, my day off this week, I am feeling it though.

Leading into Trials I had backed off running and lifting, concentrating on less volume and focusing on whitewater time, usually technique. Now, with my next major race at the end of August, I am attempting to progress through another entire macro-cycle, starting with a little volume and base building.

This, the first week I have been out of the boat for quite some time now, I am in West Palm Beach, FL for work. Coming down here on a regular enough basis, I bought a 20 visit membership at a local gym a block away from the office. Yesterday morning I headed out for a run at 0500 and was at the gym by 0530. I hit the weights pretty hard since not going to be in the boat for a few days.

Following work, we headed up to Juno Beach and ran along the ocean. My original plan was to do about six miles. Since not having run in quite some time, something like three months, I started out a little slow. To be on the safe side, I assumed about a seven minute pace. Six miles would be 42 minutes. As my logic went, if going 42 minutes, why not go 55 minutes, the threshold at which a significantly greater aerobic benefit is achieved? If going 55 minutes, why not make it an even hour?

Seeing all the surfers, other runners and a group of road bikers running a hard-charging paceline, I got a little excited after turning around and started dropping the hammer a little bit. At first it felt pretty good. After all, going fast is fun, no matter what you are doing.

The first 30 minutes, I had been taking it pretty easy. This provided a good warm up. From the turn around until about 47 minutes was actually quite fun. Those last 12 minutes or so though, my body was not happy. Still though, I did not feel all too bad last night.

As anybody who trains on a regular basis knows, it is not right after the workout when it hurts. The next day is when you pay for it. In fact, as the day progresses, it only gets worse. Right now, the middle of the afternoon, I am wondering what truck ran over me. Thus, this afternoon is a perfectly wonderful misery. Why perfectly wonderful? Why is this? What is wrong with me? Being an athlete is very much part of who I am. I love this feeling.