It was chilly this morning so I wore my jacket. It's funny, back when it was regularly in the 20s and 30s I could go out in just shorts and a t-shirt with no problem but now that we've had a couple hints of spring with temps in the 70s I can't handle 40 without a jacket.
I had no intention of running 4 miles at my 5K race pace this morning, but I did it anyway. I wanted to try something new to see how it went. I usually start out and try to settle into a good running pace starting from a walk, and I usually end up speeding up gradually from that point. Today I wanted to start out at a sprint and slow gradually into my running pace. So, I did my warm up walk, pressed the start button and ran all out for a hundred feet or so and then slowed to what I thought a comfortable pace would be. That turned out to be around 9:30/mile. I was definitely breathing harder a little sooner than I did during my last 4 mile run on Tuesday and my heart rate was slightly higher, but I was not uncomfortable. I finished the first mile in 9:35 and pushed myself to do mile 2 faster than that with the thought in my mind that I would push through the first two miles and then ease up for miles 3 and 4. As I approached the end of the second mile I was starting to feel some fatigue set in but nothing major or out of the ordinary considering that I was running faster than I was accustomed to. I finished mile 2 in 9:12. Goal accomplished, now I could ease up and just jog out the second half of the run. Except.... slowing down is not easy. I had to make a conscious effort to keep from speeding up even more and was only mildly successful. I'm used to hitting the halfway point of a run and speeding up, which isn't a bad thing. I wouldn't have minded so much but I didn't want to push myself too hard today and then not be fresh for Saturday's race. I did my best to hold back but I was only able to slow down to 9:23 for mile 3. I felt generally comfortable and not even remotely out of breath so I just went with it for the final mile finishing up the run with a 9:28 mile.
I did the equivalent of a 5K in about 29 minutes, so I feel good about Saturday. I would be pleased with a 29:00 5K.
Today's Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 00:37:42 for a pace of 9:24/mile, the fastest I've ever run. Again, not exactly what I had set out to do today, but it just kind of happened. At the very least it gives me some confidence for Saturday.
Next Up: I haven't been to the pool since last Saturday. Since I skipped running Monday, I replaced Tuesday's planned swim with a run. I went to the pool yesterday (Wednesday) with the intention of swimming but the inflatable bubble over the pool had deflated. I noticed it was back up yesterday afternoon, so I'm hopeful for getting in a swim tomorrow. 5K Saturday - I have a strategy now. I'm going to try to sprint off the starting line as much as possible given the likely crowd in which I'll be running and then ease into my race pace of around 9:30/mile for the first two miles. After that, if I'm still feeling good, I'll see how fast I can push myself for the final 1.1 miles.
Final Note: I passed the 100 mile mark for the year 2011 during Tuesday's run. If I maintain this pace, I should do about 600 miles for the year, of course, I hope to increase my mileage slightly as the year progresses. We'll see how that goes.
I'm betting you'll deliver a 28-minute 5K (maybe even less). You're accustomed to 4 miles, but a 5k is only 3.1. If you push yourself ridiculously hard that last mile, you could shave off a minute or more from that projected 29 minutes, no problem.
ReplyDelete(As if you're not competitive enough, right? lol)
I think 28 is possible, but I also think I would be falling down out of breath as I crossed the finish line. A full minute improvement is pretty significant. I am hoping to be at or below 28 by my next race, though.
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