The Long Run

I woke up a little bit earlier this morning but it wasn't quite early enough to do everything I wanted.  I needed to be back by 8:00 so Jenny could meet her friend at the Y for weights.  

I went to the Y, warmed up on the bike, did some ball crunches, got onto the treadmill for 2.5 miles, got off briefly, and instead of heading outside just got back onto the treadmill.  At this point it looked like I could just squeeze in 3.5 miles.  I went a little bit faster and also incorporated a few small hills (4%) for some variety.  Felt realy good at the end.  Had just enough time for 3 sets of leg extensions.  Got home by 8:01.

Would have liked to run just a bit further but 6 is not too bad since this is somewhat of a taper week.

I did a little bit better on the miles today.  Actually, right where I wanted to be.  The weather was doable, and after feeling a little bit uncomfortable the first few miles, I loosened up and enjoyed the run.  Ran the last 3 miles a bit faster, but nothing crazy.  I ran from home, to the old road, then to Trinity Blvd and a loop through Trinity Oaks neighborhood and back home.

Average pace: 7:49

I might try for a shorter tempo run inside of about another 8 mile run.

I ran from home this morning, to 54 and up Starkey Blvd. and then back.  The morning started out warm and humid but in a weird way it felt kind of good at first.  Went easy the first two miles then started the tempo.

First mile went ok.  Halfway through the second mile I saw Eudair running in the opposite direction on the other side of the road, bounding through the grass and off the road and side walk.  I cut my music, waved, said hi, briefly stopping, then started back up again.   I never know where Eudair is going to show up.  I can go months without seeing her anywhere, then she can show up on any road at any time.  She's one of my original running mentors who really taught me how to push when it is hard.  Finished the second mile and then turned around.   The heat was less enjoyable now but I was holding the pace and picked it up by a few seconds for the second half of the tempo.

Splits: 6:52, 6:54, 6:47, 6:45

Realized that it was very hot at this point, temp was 80 with about 90 % humidity.  Glad I didn't push too hard but did a good solid effort for the conditions, maybe worth a 6:30 average on a nice cool and dry morning?

Stopped running and walked for about a minute, started back slowly until getting back into an easy pace.  Ended up picking up the pace and doing the last mile in 7:15.

Average pace: 7:31

I ran with Jenny this morning.  The weather was a little bit nicer than yesterday and it was great having someone to run with.  We ran along one of her favorite t-shaped routes, referred to as "trouts".  There are water fountains along the way so you don't have to carry anything extra.  We ran a little bit onto the golf course path because it looked nice from a distance, but turned out to be not so great.  We'll stick to the road and sidewalks from now on.

Overall, the run was very nice, the pace felt nice and easy but not too slow.