An usually warm Saturday afternoon combined with a poor performance by the Illini on the court was the precursor for today's run. I spent the morning reviewing some of my logs from last year. It did not take for me to come to the conclusion that while I am disappointed in my current level of training, I am pretty close to where I was last year at this time. By that I mean I am running about as often and about as fast. In looking at January of 2012, I think the circumstances are there for me to be in better shape for the half-marathon in April.
The overall pace on this run was slower than the last two, however, that is due to the .72 cool down/recovery that accompanied this run. The purpose of today's run was to extend the length of my run and not necessarily increase the speed. I intended to maintain an overall pace of 10:30, and with a finishing pace of 10:35, I will call that close enough.
The first mile was completed at an easy pace of 10:25. The second mile included the overpass and that split was 10:20. I admit it, I was holding back. I wanted a rockin' 3rd mile and that's just what I got. Mile 3, with the route I was running, included the overpass again. I was at 9:58 when I began the ascent and 10:29 at the crest. I was not pleased with that result so I pushed myself. It may or may not be noteworthy to some that at the crest I was at .4 miles. I stepped it up and quickened my pace and lengthened my stride. It felt good to run "hard". I was able to complete this split at 9:42. This effort left me breathless and wondering for a moment if I may toss my lunch. At that point, I began the recovery portion of the run with a walk/jog the rest of the way. This turned a 10:10 ave. pace to the 10:35 mentioned above.
The weather is going to turn cold and nasty this evening. This will likely be the last run in shorts and t-shirt for awhile.
Until next time, stay healthy and may you reach all of your goals.
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