Running the Embarcadero

At the risk of having to eat my words, I officially declare myself to be out of danger of shin splints. At least for now. Last night I took my first 5 mile run in about 2 weeks and everything felt great. I ran along the Embarcadero which, unlike Golden Gate Park, is full of activity. Runners, cyclists, and tourists filled the wide walkway along the waterfront. It was cold and windy near the water, so I pulled up my hood and ran to the sound of vinyl swishing against my ears. After about a mile and a half, I felt good enough to pick up the pace, and ran at something near a 10.5 minute mile for the next three miles. As I approached the Ferry Building on the way back, I forced myself to slow down again, though not quite to warm up pace. I completed the run in 58 minutes, an average pace of about 11:36.

Now that I'm back on track, I'll have a new training schedule with new pace goals up soon. The 12k is only 10 weeks away so, sadly, I might not get to add any 10 milers before the race. It's tempting to try for 7 miles on Sunday and stick with my current schedule, but it's probably smarter to play it safe and log a few solid 6 mile runs before upping my distances.