Feeling old

Today's run was brutal. I was feeling sore from my long run on Saturday. Even after a day of rest I felt like I could use another. But I've got to stick to the training program so I hit the pavement this afternoon. The first 100 yards was just plain awful. I felt like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz... every joint and muscle in my legs felt stiff. For someone who will be turning 26 (in some units) in a couple of months, this was an unpleasant experience. I forged ahead knowing that some of the kinks would work themselves out when my muscles warmed up after the first mile. Well, there was some improvement but not a lot and I never really felt loose at any time during the run. Of course, there's more to it than that little number on my driver's license. To quote Indiana Jones, "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage." I've been increasing my mileage and it's starting to hit me. I won't be running again until Thursday so hopefully that will give me some time to heal. In the meantime, in lieu of an oil can, I'm going to go soak in a hot tub.