Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

EZ 4 @ 8:52 pace.

Day off running today but I officially entered the 10K trail race with a buddy.  Not sure what to expect since I've never run on a trail, but it should be fun and it aligns with the easy week I have planned next week.  Jan 23 is the race date.

AM - Did a somewhat unexpected PT test, which includes a 1.5 mile run.  I ended up running 10 seconds slower (10:40) than last month.  Granted, the run comes right after max effort pushups and situps so you're breathing hard at the starting line, but still disappointing.  Last month I started too fast - 90 seconds at the first quarter mile and 3:10 at the half-mile point, then a highly-labored 7:20 mile.  This time I started slow and had too much energy at the end, actually negative-splitting which seems stupid for such a short race.  I think after my 10K trail race I'll mix in a day of speed work each week so I get used to running fast more often, but still stick with the 10% mileage buildup rule.

PM - Did a 4.0 in 33:06 (8:16 pace).  The silver lining to today was that I was ready to run 7 hours later with no effects from the PT test (other than the pushups and situps).  It was like I hadn't run at all this morning.  I have to guess that's from the increased mileage lately, so it's nice to see myself recover so quickly.  Think I'll still do an easy effort tommorow though.

Ran a very even-paced 6.0 on the one-mile track in 50:34 (8:26 pace).  No mile split varied more than 5 seconds from the average pace.  Then, as I crossed the line for 6 miles, I sped up to simulate the finish of my upcoming 10K.  I sprinted to the quarter-mile post and made it there by 51:54 for a 1:20 quarter-mile.  About what I expected but it's really humbling considering some people on this blog can hold my quarter-mile pace for a half-marathon or more.  Wow...  Still, a feel-good workout for me and I'll get tomorrow off.

Tried to get a feel for what my 10k pace would be so I started out the first 3 miles at what felt like a pace that I could hold for 6.2.  Turned out to be a 23:47 (7:56 pace) and I felt just fine the whole time, and that I could probably speed it up a little if I needed to.  Then a cool-down of 8:25 to finish the run.

So if the 10K was on the roads, I'd say a good goal would be sub-49:00.  But, not knowing what to expect from the trail, we'll call the goal sub-50:00.  Hopefully the ground and hills won't drain all my energy and 48-something will be possible, we'll see.

Overall 1:14:56 (8:20 pace).  We got a family Garmin (the 405 to "fit" my wife better) so of course I tested it out for her this morning.  Pretty cool.  My landmarks were actually pretty accurate.  My miles were: 8:36, 8:27, 8:36, 8:36, 8:30, 8:21, 7:47, 7:29 and 8:29.  I threw 2 tempo miles in there (couldn't resist).  I had to try to impress the watch so it got a good first impression.  Anyway, another successful mileage building week.  Next week I'll be doing more easy runs to get ready for my race.

Weekly mileage: 28.75