Step on it

10:20 AM - Westboro - 7 miles, 50:00.
11-minute stretch toward the end at a comfortably hard effort, 2:40 for the last 1/2 mile on the track. 4 x 20-second strides afterward.

11:35 AM - BSC - Bike, 30:00.
5 x 2:00 out of the saddle @ 85-90% effort w/2:00 seated recovery.

After idling along for the past couple days, it was time to step on the accelerator again this morning with a steady stretch of sustained effort along the backroads of Westboro. I'm gradually starting to put some gas back in the engine in the hope that I can get this car running efficiently again soon. I'm being careful not to pour too much in at once in order to keep everything running smoothly. So far, so good.

I'm approaching the seven-week mark of my return to running and I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly I've been able to re-find my rhythm. I finished this morning's steady segment on the ol' 400-meter oval just to get an idea of what speed I was traveling at, and I had to crack a small smile when I saw 2:40 staring back at me as I looked to my watch after a two-lap tour of the track. It wasn't so much the round numbers that made me happy as the ease of the effort with which I made them appear. It's still early in the comeback quest, but I'm feeling oddly optimistic, both physically and mentally. 2008 was a tough year on many different levels, but 2009 is going to be a great year. I can just feel it.