The Long Run

Good morning run.  Good weather, a little bit overcast but rain was holding off.  Ran the first part in doors on the treadmill, 4.10 miles @ 8:08 average pace.  Headed outside, ran comfortably.  Tried not to look at my pace while running.  Another 5.07 miles at a 7:26 average pace.  Back inside, did a few more weights before heading home.  At home did some stretching and push ups.

I was feeling slightly that my body was remembering that I ran 20 miles on Saturday.  It wasn't much and I could hardly notice it but I was hoping that it wouldn't remember.

Easy paced run this morning with Dixie.  Met up at 6:00 near the Lansbrook Y.  It was a little bit windy out this morning but the temperature wasn't too bad.  First part of the run was kind of slow and sluggish but then we got moving a little bit better up to about an 8:00 pace for the last 4 miles.

Average pace: 8:30

I was really happy with this morning's run.  It was one of those runs that wasn't that long and it wasn't the fastest ever, but it felt really good.  I did 2.1 miles on the treadmill after doing some other warm up and stretching then headed outside. 

Did 6.05 miles at a 7:30 average pace.  Meant to go slower but it felt really good.  Did most of the run between 7:30 and 7:45 but did one mile at 7:08 before backing it down for the last mile.

Weather was great this morning, but we are going back to cold tomorrow morning, looks like 28 degrees, a new record for running temperature not counting when I lived in Rochester, NY.

I was prepared for the cold this morning.  I was expecting 28 degrees but was pleasantly surprised with 30 degrees (those 2 degrees mean a lot at least psychologically).

I dressed warm (long pants, two shirts, hat and gloves) and headed out expecting to feel cold.  But it wasn't that bad.  I left my neighborhood and ran onto 54 and then up the bike trail along Starkey Blvd. and then back home.  Pace went from 8:50 at the beginning and gradually got faster.  For the return trip, I decided to pick the pace instead of letting my body pick.  It is interesting because I decided to try and get between 7:50 and 8:00 for the pace, which was just a little faster than what I had been running, but once I was trying to run a particular pace on purpose it felt much easier - even though the old pace and new pace were both in the "easy" range.   For some reason the slightly faster but deliberately chosen pace felt easier, it could have been coincidence or it could have been something else, maybe I was feeling more in control.

The other strange thing is that the new "easy" pace seemed to get faster on its own, so I just decided I'd go with whatever the pace came out to unless I went slower than 8:00.  Then the run felt really easy and I was going at a faster pace.  I felt great and hoped I could feel this good on all of my runs.

Average pace: 7:53  (average pace for first 4 miles, about 8:30)

Nice medium long run this morning.  Met up with a bunch of people in Starkey park about 6:30.  It was chilly (33 degrees) but was actually clear, no windy, and overall pleasant.   Started out at an easy pace (between 8:30 and 9:00) for first 3 miles and then gradually picked it up to around an 8:00 pace for next 7 miles.  Out and back course from the parking lot to the entrance of the Suncoast trail.  Lots of familiar faces out on the trail.  Picked it up the last 3 miles at about a 7:00 pace.  Tried to stay relaxed and not pushed too hard, felt pretty good.

Average pace: 7:54

Enjoyed social hour with the Suncoast Striders celebrating their 7th anniversary, I have been running with them for just over two years.  It's a pretty fun group, fairly informal with wide ranges of running abilities and goals.  Definitely a great running support system and lots of good people.

Going to step up the mileage a bit next week.