Boston Strong

80 degrees, 7:30 ap

 8:17 pace on new cross country trails behind Alex's school

 http://runnersconnect.net/boston-marathon-coach/pace-calculator/

I think I will follow the 2:58 pace plan for the first 4 miles, then just hang on for dear life the next 22.2!  :)

Got my free Karhu shoes in mail today (won them by beating 'the bear' in a 5k 10 days ago)

Since they were all laced up & feeling good, I stepped out for a fast mile.

5:46, then 1/2 mile cooldown at 8:20. 

Shoes felt great, but I felt like I was going to die running that fast in 80 degree heat!

Just wanted to get a fast mile in them, so hopefully I can contain myself and run an easy 7 or 8 in them later tonight. If they continue to feel good as I break them in, I think I will wear them at Boston.  They are 8.8 ounces, which is still pretty light, and they definitely feel like they provide more cushioning then my Adidas Adios ... which I think are 7.5 ounces.

 I like the listed 'benefits' on the website:  "Precision engineering providing ultimate forward efficiency."

http://www.karhu.com/products/flow-fulcrum-ride-formula-one-scream.html#tab1

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7:30 pm - 77 degrees, 7 miles - no pain  :) , no endurance  :(

7:25, 7:35, 7:46, 7:46, 7:51, 7:51, 7:20

75 degrees ... 10 mile comfortable pace run ... 7:50 AP

Well, considering I have not felt 'comfortable' on a run in 3 months, this is a good step in the right direction.  Pretty much all my runs I have ended up running slower & shorter than I planned, either because of knee discomfort or struggling aerobically.  Today I was determined to start easy & keep it comfortable ... amazing how easy it was keeping the pace sub 8 ... without starting out running the first 2 miles at 7:30, which I usually do. 

The whole run felt comfortable, although the last couple miles were a little harder, I believe this was mostly a fueling issue, they were still relatively easy, just took a little more effort than the first 8.  I think one of the hardest things to regain after time off is the mental strength to push through discomfort ... probably because it hits you so much earlier in the run, it is a little deflating!  Today I had no mental battles to keep going, in fact, if I had a Gu I probably would have kept going.

An encouraging run was just what I needed, considering this is the first time my weekly mileage has surpassed 30 since my injury in mid January.  I think I can gain a lot back in the next 2 weeks with consistent running, which will make 26.2 a little less of a battle ... at least for the first half of the race!

1 - 8:36

2 - 7:57

3 - 7:57

4 - 7:38

5 - 7:47

6 - 7:44

7 - 7:36

8 - 7:41

9 - 7:46

10 - 7:35

PM - 2 miles, 7:43, 7:49

7 @ 8:35

9:29, 9:04, 9:04, 8:47, 8:01, 8:00, 7:39