I woke up this morning, and my toe was throbbing. I have had a blister that has been festering under my toenail for a week or two, and it was acting up again. So I used that as an excuse not to get out and run early in the morning. After spending time with my wife and daughter this evening, I had about 70 minutes to get in my run before my wife had to leave for the airport. So I decided I'd try to squeeze my tempo run in and that I would push the pace to see if I could do ten miles. I did it on the treadmill again (a habit lately). I felt really strong the entire time. I ran the first mile at 8:00 pace, the next 4 miles at 7:00 pace. I didn't feel like I was breathing too hard or struggling. So I pushed the pace to 6:22 per mile and was able to hold that for the next 4.75 miles. Then I did a short cooldown and hurried home. I realize that these times do not necessary translate to times outside, but comparing this with myself, it was an excellent run for me. The 6:22 miles were hard, but I wasn't breathing super hard. I could handle it so much better than earlier this year. I feel like I am now making some real breakthroughs in my training after training sold for many months and not feeling like I was making much progress. So I hope to continue it forward. | 