Stayed in Park City overnight, so I decided to run on the Rail Trail. Plan was to do 16 miles with 10 at MP effort, with a target AHR of 171.
Drove to Trailside Elementary and parked, then ran approximately 2 miles east to the Promontory trailhead and headed north on the trail toward Wanship. Temp. was only around 60 even though I didn't get out until 10 am, and I only saw one other runner and maybe 20 cyclists the whole time (a nice change from the crowds in Emigration). The 6-mile warmup felt very light and easy, and HR was hovering in the low 140s. When I started the tempo section, it took a while for HR to reach target, and it still felt easy. In fact, I was feeling so good that I decided to add a little distance (since I missed yesterday's run due to having a busy day that started at 5 am and didn't ever slow down). That changed when I turned around at Wanship and headed back. I haven't looked at the elevation profile yet, but it felt like a slight uphill on the way back. In addition, there was a pretty stiff headwind. My pace slowed considerably even though I continued to push in an attempt to hold a higher AHR for a sustained period. I suppose the elevation may have contributed to a higher HR relative to my pace, but I certainly didn't feel that during the warmup. At any rate, here's what the tempo splits looked like:
Mile 7: AHR 160 (6:01)
Mile 8: AHR 169 (5:55)
Mile 9: AHR 172 (6:00)
Mile 10: AHR 168 (6:28) (this was a fueling mile where I slowed somewhat to eat my Jelly Belly Sport Beans, which taste good but require a lot of chewing, and also where I turned around into the wind)
Mile 11: AHR 173 (7:18) (stiff headwind)
Mile 12: AHR 174 (7:11)
Mile 13: AHR 174 (7:16)
Mile 14: AHR 172 (7:17)
Mile 15: AHR 173 (7:06)
Mile 16: AHR 174 (6:30)
Although the pace was slow on the way back, I was pleased that I was able to hold my effort above target most of the way. I didn't feel any hint of the arch pain that came out of the blue on Thursday. Only pain was in my tendon on the outside of my left hamstring behind my knee, and that was more tightness than anything. It was gone after about 4 miles. | 