Running in Circles

I finally made it down to the Metrodome for "Dome Running". In case you are thinking…huh?...Dome running is put on by a local running group (mdra) in the Metrodome (where the Twins & Vikings play). You run circles in the hallway circling the dome. It works out to about 2.5 laps per mile, so much better than the indoor track at the gym! There is a fast lane on the inside which is for 7:00mpm or faster and an outer lane for everyone else (like me). It was much busier than I had expected. There had to be a couple hundred people there. But the 'track' wasn't bad at all. Everyone there was a runner, so they knew to keep to the outside when going slow and pass on the left and don't take up the whole hallway running 5 abreast etc.

It was so nice to get off the treadmill, although the scenery there gets old pretty quickly too…and it could use a hill :)

I was planning on doing about 6.5 miles, which would have been 16 laps. I have only recently started having a long run again (since Oct) so I had only done one run that was about 6.5 miles but that run was also on the treadmill. Once I started running and got into my groove, I was feeling good and figured I might as well make it an even number and did 20 laps instead of 16. I checked the chart (they have a couple around so you can easily convert laps to miles) and 20 laps is 7.91 miles. Also, although I felt like I was going pretty easily it turned out I was actually going at about a 10:30 pace!

As soon as I stopped, I realized I should have stopped a couple laps sooner. My legs are still a bit sore today, but I am sure they will be fine by tomorrow. Isn't it weird that sometimes you don't even realize that you are sore until you stop running? Or is that just me?