Where did all my quick go?

They told me this would happen, but it's freaking me out a bit.

I'm slow these days.

Recovering from a half marathon usually takes two full weeks, and one week after I ran a tough but good race, I'm feeling it.

I no longer feel as if the mob worked me over, but what I'm feeling now is even stranger. My legs aren't exactly dead, but it's as if they're filled with sand. When I run, it's like I have a weight tied to my back. Even Sunday's five-mile run, at a 9-minute pace, a pittance, really, was labor-intensive.

I'm patient about this. I'm not even that worried. I just talked to other another runner at work here, someone I really respect, and he said the same thing. And the rule of thumb is one day of recovery for every mile you run at race pace.

So, OK.

Still, I always love to doubt myself, and the Bolder/Boulder is approaching rather quickly. I really want a PR this year and think I've trained hard enough for it. Eventually I'd like to shake off the sludge and get to where I was just before the race, when long and fairly fast seemed effortless.

I guess we'll see if my body agrees in a couple of weeks.