Running: 1/8/2011

Today was proof that the best cure for a bad run is to get back up on those running shoes and try it again.  As little as I wanted to do it, I knew that if I put it off another day it would just be that much harder.  I stretched and strapped on the shoes and headed out into the cold wind for another 3.1 miles today.  Though it was cold and windy, the sun was bright.  The warmth of the sun made it much easier to keep going when I really didn't want to.  I set my watch for 3.1 miles, the little man to do it in 36 minutes and my sights on outrunning "him" today.  To do that I would have to average 11:37/mile.  That shouldn't be difficult as I've run 2.8 and 2.9 miles at several seconds faster than that pace.

I started out with a 5 minute warm up walk out to the road and back and then around the parking lot.  I pressed start on my watch and took off at a reasonable jog.  My first mile was finished in 11:50.  Not fast enough.  I made myself continue at about the same pace, though, knowing I could pick it up in the last mile and run "him" down.  I maintained the pace, and finished the second mile in 11:46.  I was only 21 seconds behind and knew I had reserved enough energy to pick up the pace in the last 1.1 miles.  I pushed myself to run approximately a full minute per mile faster than I had run the first two miles.  I did the third mile in 10:48.  That may be my fastest mile ever.  I really have no way of knowing, but I know I was pushing myself pretty hard.  For the final tenth of a mile I sprinted, pushing for as much speed as my tired legs and lungs could muster.  I finished up the run in 35:24. 

While it was not my fastest per mile pace ever, it was a good run and my fastest at the 3.1 mile distance.  I also feel like I found a good pace at which I can reserve some energy but at which I didn't feel like I was dragging my feet.  I'm hoping to build on this going forward. 

Today's Run:  I did 3.1 miles in 35:24 for an average per mile pace of 11:24, beating the little man by 36 seconds total.  A big improvement over Thursday's run.

Next Up:  Who knows?  We're scheduled to get a big snow here starting tomorrow night.  The locals aren't well prepared for this, so I don't expect the roads to be safe to travel by Monday.  I may be doing Monday's run on the treadmill.  I also would like to get into a regular swimming routine, but that doesn't look likely in the coming week.