The Long Short Month

I made a 6.81 mile run on Tuesday to close out the month of February. As noted, I expected to make three more runs in the week. but the long Saturday followed by an unplanned Sunday run took some of the life out of my legs. I thought it best to rest on Wednesday rather than risk an injury that would keep me off the pavement for a few weeks.

I ended the month of February with 89.9 miles in the books, all of it running. As the mileage came up throughout the month, I harbored a quiet hope that I might reach the 100-mile mark. And, had February been a normal month of 31 days, I might have made that milestone. Instead, I almost doubled the mileage of January, jumping up from 47.6. At the time, that was the PR for monthly mileage. Even with a short month, February definitely set a new standard.

Conventional wisdom says that it’s not a good idea to add more than 10% per week to your running mileage. At that pace, I’d have closed the month with roughly 66 miles. Clearly, I far exceeded the recommendation. I’m a bit sore just above and inside the ankles, but, overall, feel very good. I think it’s likely that I’ve found something approaching a plateau – that I’ll stay in the 100-mile range at least through the month of March. I think this minimal discomfort will be temporary and that I may have caught up my own mileage potential at my new reduced weight.

In any case, the sense of accomplishment from the long short month is palpable. I’m already looking forward to the next long Saturday run.