I set out today to do a tempo run. It turned into a see how fast I can run. I decided to skip the drive to the park and just head out the front door this morning. I like this less and less as I do it more, mostly because of some troublesome dogs that live along me preferred running routes but also because I just like running beside the water at the lake.
I headed out the door with the intention of maintaining about a 9:00/mile pace and I did well for the first mile, finishing it in right at 9 minutes. I sped up just a bit for the next two miles, averaging 8:46/mile for each of those. As I started mile 4 I was on a long slightly downhill stretch, so I let my momentum carry me at a faster pace, probably averaging around 8:15/mile. I wasn't really thinking about my pace at this point, but I did happen to look at my watch and noticed I was at and average pace of 8:15 for the last mile still with about 2/3 of a mile to go. I wanted to push to see if I could do the last mile in less than 8 minutes. I knew it was going to be hard with the final 1/3 of a mile being uphill all the way to my house. From there I pushed the pace up as fast as I thought I could and still be able to finish the run. I took advantage of a short downhill stretch, letting gravity pull me along as much as possible. When I hit the final hill before the house, I just let it all out. I wasn't at an all out sprint, but I was pushing pretty hard to climb the hill as fast as possible. By the time I hit the driveway I was running at about 6:20/mile and breathing very hard. I didn't leave much, if anything, in reserve this morning, finishing the last mile in 7:53.
I was pleased with today's run. I thought I had maybe hit my limit because I've not seen much improvement over the last few weeks but I did 4 miles today averaging a better pace per mile by a full 9 seconds than my best 5K. I know I can push myself harder, now. If I work at it, I'm hoping I can pull off a sub-25 minute 5K before the end of the year.
Today's Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 34:29 for an average pace of 8:36.
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