See below for whining

miles: Saturday, 8.5 outdoors, Sunday, 3.1 outdoors
total program miles: 122.1
pain level: noticeable discomfort
Owie, owie, owie, my legs are stiff. I had an amazing run on Saturday morning, everything was ideal. The weather was gorgeous, I felt awesome, not a speck of pain, energized (I remembered a gel this time!), and to top it off I didn't listen to my iPod and the time still flew by. When I reached the half-way point I thought "No way I did four and a quarter miles already!" As I cruised into the driveway I felt on top of the world. I did a good cool-down with stretches, and later in the day I took a walk to loosen up, but I could still feel myself getting stiff.

When I woke up on Sunday my legs were all "No thanks, boss, no running today, we'll just sit on the couch if its all the same to you." But of course I had signed up to run a 5k on Sunday with my friend T, and this was her first 5k ever. So I had to go. I popped some ibuprofen and headed out into the frigid air. It was bleeding cold yesterday in the Portland metro area, it even snowed as the run was finishing up. Yuck. I have to say, though, once I finished warming up and the run started, I felt good. I didn't push myself too hard.

But this morning – yikes. My legs feel like warped planks of wood.

I think the problem must be that my run on Saturday was conducted entirely on sidewalks, concrete sidewalks. I can't think of what else could have caused the stiffness, as I've run 8 miles twice before (once on packed dirt and once on the treadmill) and felt little stiffness the days following. Assuming that to be the case, I now face a dilemma. To run in my neighborhood means to run on concrete. The streets are asphalt but too busy to be run in, and there are no trails of meaningful distance within an easy walk. I have resisted the idea of driving to a running spot because it seems like a waste of both time and fuel to drive so that I may run. Of course I don't want to tear my poor legs up either. I've come up with a tentative plan, yes, ANOTHER tentative plan (we'll see how long this one lasts). In order to minimize the strain on my system, I'm going to try running all my weekday runs on the treadmill. I'm thinking I'll try the Springwater corridor for long weekend runs – yes it’s a drive, but a short one at least, and its asphalt. And if I'm feeling virtuous, I can even take the bus.

An aside: The gel I brought with me on Saturday was Espresso Love Gu. I "ate" it after about 4 miles. (It doesn't feel right to me to say that I "took" a gel, although that seems to be the agreed phrasing in the on-line community. But you don't really "eat" a gel either, since it just sort of slithers down one's throat. "Ingested" is too cumbersome and suggestive...maybe "swallowed", since that is really what you do with a gel?) One thing in its favor, it tasted a heckuva lot better than Lemon Sublime Gu. I tried that flavor a few weeks ago and nearly gagged. Blech. Anyway, as I tore the top off the little packet I was imagining that this would be a burdensome and awkward ritual that, while necessary, would assume its place near dental cleanings and the hand-washing of delicates at the bottom of the list of desirable activities. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I sort of squirted the stuff into my mouth and it took care of the rest, just sort of shimmying downward without any help from me. I barely had time to notice the taste before it was gone. Swallowing the whole thing took maybe 20 seconds and I was able to run the entire time. I'm going to keep experimenting – this week I'm trying Shot Bloks – but the Gu experience was not unpleasant