Day 22: Eight mile

Eminem sings it. I ran it. (Actually, 8.3 miles.)

I realized as I finished this latest Longest Run Ever that my fitness level has really improved since I started running in November. I was barely even breathing hard after more than eight miles, and I've kept up a pretty good pace. Of course, my legs were a little tired, especially the right one. Shortly after I started running, I got a knee brace for my left leg to try to combat shin splints; in December, I got a brace for the right leg too. But recently, the right brace has started to cause chafing where it rubbed against the inside of my knee, so for a few runs now, I've dispensed with it. (The left brace is made of a different material and hasn't been as annoying.) And so that knee is a little sore now, but I'll sit for a while with some ice as a preventative measure.

Seen on the trail today: a woman rollerblading while wearing a hockey helmet, with full steel-wire face mask. She seemed somewhat embarrassed. Hey, I would have been, too.

(Why no post yesterday? Hey, it was a rest day, and I spent a good portion of it down by the Charles River. Fireworks last night: blammo blammo.)