AM - Work loop.
PM - 4 x cruise miles. I said a couple weeks ago I was done with night workouts, but I forgot about that until I got through with the first one. I started right on target (5:20 pace) with a79 quarter, then finished in 5:27. I just can't maintain a fast pace in the middle of this course in the dark. The trail looks like a dark brown smudge in the light of my headlamp, and I can't differentiate the rises and falls in the terrain. Either my foot lands further down than I expected in a dip or it lands higher than expected and I stumble. Either way I can never keep my momentum. I start to feel like I'm going to twist an ankle or slip over the bridge or fall down a hill. Extremely frustrating. I went 5:27, 5:26, 5:26, 5:25 and it took all of my concentration to hit those times. 1:00 rests between. It wasn't taxing in terms of effort.
But it's still January. The goal races are in May and June, so hitting paces doesn't matter as much. Still, I think I'll run this particular workout on the track until it gets lighter out. If I can remember next time.
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