Just about ready.

I'm still recovering, probably longer than I should have, but I've been busy.

This past weekend my parents came into town and them myself and my wife all went cycling.  I think we did around 12 miles(?).  I'll have to check again.

We just took our time, riding from Old Town to lunch in Georgetown and taking little stops wherever we wanted.  

My legs were feeling totally fine the entire time though.  I know it's a different set of muscles but we'll see how I feel today or tomorrow.

I plan on lacing up the shoes again to see if I can get some more miles under my feet before things get busy again.

More friends and relatives are coming down this weekend so I'll have to get in those runs in and loaded soon.  

My wife is also out of town this week so running will keep me from getting too bored!  If I'm left to my own devices, I don't think I'll last very long.  I end up just eating chips watching TV or playing XBOX or something.

Hopefully, I'll stay motivated till I get off tonight so when I get home, I'll just stretch and be out the door.  Oh, after letting the dog do his thing first.

Rest time

I think I started things off a little too hard. 

My calves are killing me!  I'll have to tone it down a little bit.  Certainly need to stretch more!

So I think I'm going to take some time and recover properly, I just don't want to lose any progress I've made.  

It's probably better than I really slow down, you can't just go out and run long distances after not running for a long time!

The Rhythm

While running in the past, I have noticed something. I haven't gotten yet, but I remember what it was like years ago.

It's when I find my rhythm and I become a machine. Not the kind of machine that makes me able to run fast or long but things just click.

It's usually after at least 4 or 5 miles and it's when I'm feeling pretty tired. I'm just chugging along, feeling worn out and all of sudden it feels like I just float outside of myself and don't feel a thing.

It's like I become a train, my arms and legs just moving in perfect unison and I don't feel a thing. That's the machine.

Like I said before, I don't get really any faster, it just feels like I'm outside of myself and I am running in third person. Almost like a movie, and then my soundtrack is whatever I was just listening to on my iPod earlier.

I wonder if other people have this "machine" moment. I think everyone has a time when they are running that it all lines up and you just feel perfect.

For me, those times are rare. Not every run and certainly not at any specific time but I love it when it happens.

With me starting to run again, I'm looking for that moment, that rhythm. So far, my longest run has only been about 8 miles, and I didn't feel it then, though I thought I was going to die!

I might as well talk about my latest long run. So, I ran 8 miles. That's a big step for me because the last one I ran was 4 miles.

Both times had a few stops to walk and rest and stretch, but I'm sure I'll get into a non stop long run in no time.

Nike Free Video

The last video upload (post below) was not working for me, I'll add a new one here:


Nike Free from Mike Petrucci on Vimeo.