As I'm running a bit more these days, I'm getting better at noticing the little nuances associated with a given run. This run gets a "so-so" nod in my book.

Though my HR was a bit higher that I would've liked, I "felt" fine. The thing that bothered me the most was my gait - things were not balanced at all. My right footstrike and takeoff felt great; my left footstrike was a complete mess. Instead of a nice smooth land/takeoff, my left foot felt like it was slamming into the ground and acting more like a brake. After a while, my left shin definitely started "speaking" and I imagine above-avg DOMS will hit the left leg.

Everything with both legs felt fine, so I'm completely clueless about why I seemed to be favoring one side over the other. All I know is if I'd been running behind somebody running like I *felt* like I was running, I'd have wondered what was up.

Go out more slowly and try to ease into a steady, balanced, stride. I'd like to see less variety in my mile splits.

Nothing worth noting. Grabbed a water, ran into A$ and a few other folks, and stood in line to catch a shuttle back to the start. Once back, grabbed some nourishment and chatted with some of the cool kids, said "Ciao" to the gals I used to coach, and headed home to reinsert myself into "RL."


Beside simple time on the trail, the unbalanced gait (noted above) certainly played a part and perhaps Sunday's long run (longest run I've done in years) impacted things a bit, but nothing notable really.


Good race and one I'd definitely do again, especially now knowing the course