The Long Run

Wesley Chapel 5K

19:21, 8th place overall

Beautiful morning, chilliest in a long time.  I talked Joe and Jamie into coming with me.  There were a few more people than last time but still a pretty small group.  Yesterday was a very difficult run for me, feeling tight and slow.  I wasn't sure what I could do today.  I warmed up with some easy miles and a few quick strides but couldn't seem to get the speed I wanted.

Race started and I felt ok but not quite where I usually was.  However I stuck with it and managed to get through the first mile and a pretty good 6:10 pace.  Usually, I would gradually slow down a little bit each mile.  I was running after a very fit looking woman named Lynn who had a pretty good gap on me.  

Second mile was a little bit faster (surprisingly) at a 6:05 pace.  Around the end of the second mile I finally caught up to Lynn and was actually feeling pretty good.

And finally, third mile and I did not slow down.  Managed just a little bit faster at 6:00.9.

I had been looking just at my lap pace but had I known how close I was to my last time maybe I could have managed a little bit faster.

Crossed the line at 19:21 - exactly the same as last time but with very different splits.  I also ran the tangents a little bit sloppier this time so my distance was slightly longer than last time.

Joe came in under 21:00 and Jamie had a PR by 3 seconds at 22:55 (unfortunately she was last place - but didn't seem to mind).

The winner, named Fred, PR'd at 14:35 (last race was 14:53), second place was 15:10 - so definitely one of the faster 5k race around.

5.13 mi, 53:31, 10:26 avg, HR 120 avg, 135 max

Easy run with Joe and Jamie in the neighborhood.  We were talking and I wasn't paying attention to the ground and my toe caught an uneven section of sidewalk and down I went, with my face quickly approaching the concrete.  Fortunately, I remembered to tuck into a roll and ended up with just a little scrape near my elbow.   That was a close one.  Marine Corps Marathon this Sunday and then back to shorter stuff for a while.

6.38 mi, 57:15, 8:58 avg, HR 128 avg, 158 max

Easy run with three short marathon pace pickups.  Neighborhood run with Jamie, nice and cool (but warmer than chilly).

4.09 mi, 40:58, 10:02 avg

Ran with the Striders, starting near Longleaf and running out and back on the Starkey Blvd bike trail.  I brought Stella for her first Striders morning run and also turned out to be her longest run so far.  Her previous longest run was 3 miles (in the evening) and she seemed to be tired for the last half mile.  But, this morning there was no sign of her getting tired.  I think she could have easily gone at least another mile.  I'm still learning to run with her efficiently so it is a little slower going for me to concentrate on keeping her running alongside rather than pulling too much.