9.2 mi, 1:10:26, 7:39 avg, HR 156 bpm
Week 10, day 2 of the plan. This was similar to a run 3 weeks ago except it was 7 miles at tempo pace instead of 6 with only 1 mile of warmup. I had a certain amount of dread the night before. Last time I struggled to get on pace until sometime around mile 3. This time I wanted to do better than that but also knew the first mile would be tough so I planned on taking it slower than the rest of the miles but a little faster than the first mile last time. I also did a few mini strides toward the end of the warmup mile so the faster pace wouldn't feel so hard.
The other challenge was that 1 mile would not get me to the trail. I'd still be on street or sidewalk. I at least set it up so I wouldn't have any busy street crossings. My warmup ended in Eniswood. I'd have to to some on the sidewalk on Alt19. Had to go around a lady with her dog standing next to her kids waiting for the bus. But overall it started out ok.
I did have to do a lot of bargaining with myself for the first half, there was no reason to stop, shoes were double knotted, no cramps or tightness. If I had stopped it would've only been because I gave up. I also kept telling myself I'd feel better after the turnaround.
And, I did feel better and felt the pace go back up. I even had the fastest mile running on the sidewalk.
Tempo splits: 7:32, 7:28, 7:23, 7:20, 7:10, 7:16, 7:07
Average came out to 7:19. My strain app also showed much less strain than similar mileage at lower speeds. I do miss the sub-7:00 tempo days, maybe I can get back there.
| 