Boston Strong

5 @ 7:50 ap in PP with Tim... call it a Pre-Falcons victory run.  Brief warmup, 7:23 mile on oval, then 7:14 mile on Botanical Gardens Hill loop, back to track for 7:42 pace, Hill loop @ 8:00 & cool down half mile @ 8:50 pace ... happy to hit 50 mpw ... 1st time since Boston!  Perhaps I can hit it 10 more times before Boston!

Go Falcons!

* Disclaimer*  Paces listed below are off my garmin, although I ran on a track ... and my watch records a 1/4 mile on track at a little less than 1 lap ... which means the paces are probably 15 seconds faster than I was actually running ... in other words, my total time for 4 miles is more like for 15 laps than 16 & change ... my guess is that it is recording my pace approximately 15-20 seconds faster per mile than I am actually running!  But for the benefit of my ego ... I am recording the mile times my watch gave me, even if they were short of a mile ... cuz that is all I have to work with! 

Regardless, I am very pleased with my workout ... I did not even have faster miles in mind when I started, but when the faster pace feels easy, you just have to roll with it ... I really never felt like I was pushing the pace ... this is by far the most comfortable I have felt at these paces, even if you add the 15-20 seconds per mile.

 1st 4:  7:02, 6:47, 6:44, 6:37  (6:47 ap)

As I hit the 4 mile mark, I figured I better back off or I would not get the miles I was hoping for ... not too mention I was at Alex's soccer tryouts, so if I finished up early, there was going to be lots of standing around.  Took a brief break to grab some gatorade & started back up, thinking I would just run easy.

2nd 4:  7:30, 7:16, 6:52, 6:26  (7:02 ap)

 So much for slowing down, my pace creeped right back up there, with my last mile being my fastest.  I then did a 2 mile cooldown around an 8:00 pace.

 Realistically, my 8 faster miles probably averaged around 7:10 pace ... I'll take it & consider today one of my hard workouts for the week ... but I felt pretty comfortable ... Yea

Ran with local running store group, demo'd some Newtons.  Easy 5 miles followed by beer & pizza ... guess I broke even for the day.

No watch, ran for 75 min around 8 min pace

Sims Lake Park    7:37 ap

12 miles @ 7:43 ap with couple cd miles heading home.

I am very pleased with this run, wanted to keep it around 8:00 or a little under, most times I looked at my watch I consciously slowed a little.  7:45 pace is my goal at Boston as it will qualify me to return in '14 & go sub 3 ... assuming I can stay injury free or at least manage them so they don't blow my base like they did last year.

3 miles to Piedmont Park, 4 2 mile loops (half on oval track & half on the ABG hill loop, then 3 back home.  The 4 miles on the soft surface track are really helpful to me!

1 - 8:06

2 - 7:50

3 - 7:51

4 - 7:29 (track)

5 - 7:48

6 - 7:44 (track)

7 - 7:42

8 - 7:34 (track)

9 - 7:44

10 - 7:35 (track)

11 - 7:32 (track ... decided to bypass last hill loop & stay on track before heading home)

12 - 7:36

13 - 8:29

14 - 8:50

 Watch died at 13.5 ... that is about the life of my battery these days!

Mid 50's & sunny ... supposed to hit 70 on Tuesday!  :)