Faster 5K: Week 4, Day 1

No rest for the weary.  That's how I felt this morning getting up to run.  I didn't sleep well Friday or Saturday nights.  I was sleeping very well last night until about 4:30 when a loud noise woke me.  I think one of the kids got up to use the bathroom and slammed the bathroom door.  Kids slamming doors - big surprise.  I got up and walked around the house to investigate and by that time I was pretty much wide awake.  I went back to bed and tried to sleep for another 90 minutes or so but never got in more than a light doze.  So, I didn't really feel like getting up to run, but I was awake and there was no good reason not to. 

The temperature was nice this morning.  Mid-40s seemed almost warm compared to the 20s and lower 30s that I've grown accustomed to at 6AM.  A very friendly dog greeted me at the park entrance this morning.  I socialized with it for a few seconds then did a quick warm up walk, expecting to have some soreness left over from Saturday's 5K but everything felt good.  The only real problem I had was my breathing.  It seemed to be more difficult to catch my breath for the first mile.  I eventually got into a rhythm but I didn't feel things really click like they have been lately - until I had a good laugh.  I see a lady some mornings running with two big dogs.  The friendly dog I met at the gate had decided to join them for their run and the three dogs were having quite a time.  The owner didn't seem very amused.  I laughed at them, and then everything felt right for the first time all morning.  I kept trying to laugh and smile and for whatever reason it worked.  Everything came together right around the middle of my 3rd mile and I felt good for the rest of the run. 

I pushed myself a little harder this morning.  My routine increased the fast runs to 3 and 5 minutes and my jogging portions didn't get any longer to offset that.  I also tried to keep the pace up instead of lagging when I got tired. 

Today's Stats:  I did 3.89 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:01 - just slightly slower than my 9:51/mile 5K pace. 

Next up:  I'll be back in the pool in the morning for another 900 yard swim then Wednesday will be the same running routine as today.