Back From Vacation

Well, I'm back from vacation. After taking several days off in the quietness of the northwoods of Manitowish Waters, WI, I returned to the hustle and bustle of Madison and the craziness of working for a tv station . The time off was very much needed and very much welcome. We all need to recharge our batteries every so often and this was my time to do it. To me, there is no better place to recharge and reinvigorate than in the northwoods by a lake. It is so calming and peaceful and really helps you to forget about the stressors back in the city. How can you not forget about it when you see eagles soaring, hear loons laughing and have cool summer breezes brush up against your body all day long. The peacefulness and the weather also made for some of the most enjoyable running of the year. I was fortunate to be able to run every day while up there and had nothing but the beautiful sights and my thoughts to keep me company while I ran. I usually ran a big seven mile loop when I went on my runs and even when I was forced to go on a county road for part of it, I was hardly ever disturbed by the traffic... it was pretty sparse. I also did see the occasional bicyclist or runner, but that was also few and far between. My final day of vacation was capped off by running a small town 10k with my brother on Sunday morning. Pete and I got up early and headed to Boulder Junction, WI to run in the 39th Annual Musky Days Run. Our dad also went along to watch. The Musky Days Jamboree, by the way, has been going on for 52 years. I really didn't know how my legs would respond to racing being that Sunday marked the fifth day in a row of running for me but I was pleasantly surprised how my legs bounced back. Just a little over a month ago I ran a 10k race in La Crosse where I was able to break the 40 minute barrier for the first time and I was hoping that last Sunday I could do the same thing. I did it by two seconds. I ran the race in 39:58 for a 6:26 per mile pace average. I actually think I ran it faster because my GPS watch measured the course to be around 6.4 miles instead of 6.2. If that is actually the case, then my time should have been around 38:30 or something ,and I would have broke my old P.R. of just a month ago. In hindsight, though, it really doesn't matter. I still ran under 40 minutes, it was a beautifully cool morning to do it, and I was able to race with my brother Pete again which is always a lot of fun. Pete, by the way, finished a little over 30 seconds in front of me for fourth place while I came in at fifth. Not too bad for the Jaeger boys.

This morning, after getting a good nights sleep in my own bed, I was back out to running and training around Lake Monona. The weather this morning was much like the northwoods where I had just been... nice and cool. I kicked off my return home by circling the lake at an average of 7:29 per mile for the 12 miles. Not too bad coming off a 46 mile week and a hard 10k just a couple days ago. I guess that vacation did me some good after all... that and the several mixed drinks I had while up there. A good brandy and coke at a nice restaurant will always do the trick, too.

Mileage last week: 46.2

Today's workout: 12.1 miles > 1:30:41 > 7:29 pace

Miles this week: 12.1