A week's worth

Normally, I would have more to write after a week, but its been a slow running week as I recover. My main interest this week is how fast I can recover. So I'm going on my third week of recovery, and I figure if I'm ever going to do the Grand Slam, that's probably about the amount of time for recovery that I would have. Last week, I got a run in on Tuesday, as I blogged, and then did my usual run with a few twists on Friday night after work. Good to get in the hills and back on Fortuna, but it was brutally slow, as I expected. Was stronger on the uphills than I expected and no significant knee pain, all of which was obviously a good sign. Starting to get dark here for after work runs, so a light is mandatory equipment. Did see a scraggly looking deer about 3/4 of the way up South Fortuna. Weird place to see one, but it headed down towards the San Diego River when it saw me, so at least it knew where to go.

Sunday was a taligate run. My tailgate run is a 3 to 3.5 hour run starting in the canyon and doing a complete loop through Marian Bear and Rose Canyons, closing the loop by cutting through Miramar Nursery and running next to the dump to drop under the 805/52 interchange. Its more scenic than it sounds.

Anyways, I was nervous on this one for a couple of reasons. One, I forgot my phone, so if things went bad at any point, I was on my own. Secondly, I needed to leave by 9 AM to get to the tailgate in time for the festivities, so there was a bit of time pressure. My worries, thankfully, were unfounded. I was up at 5:15 and out the door by 5:25, light in hand and Gator by my side. The run was completely and mercifully uneventful. My favorite part of the run comes when I get on the other side of Gennesse, where I stop at University City High to hit the water fountain. From there until I hit the streets by the house, it is extremely unusual to see anyone, even at the nursery. Saw 2 coyotes this time around, and when I got to the nursery along the fence that edges the Miramar runway, there were about 30 ravens all lined up on the barbed wire. As I ran the gauntlet, they didn't even move, just sat there and croaked at me. Eerie. The only other problem was that the hole in the fence I usually cut through had been partially repaired, meaning now I have to crawl through it. Difficult after 2:45 of running. But I made it in about 3:05 total with tired legs.

Tuesday was an hour run in the morning with Gator in the canyon which felt pretty good. Overall, I would say I"m not recovered, but I'm close. I think its safe to say that I need 3 full weeks to even think about being recovered, but given how tired I was after the canyon run, I need another week to say I"m ready to go. I think I need to figure out a way to speed up the process . . .