Speed

I did an easy 7.5 miles with Heather on Monday night, down Kelly Drive to the Amtrak Bridge and back. The pace was easy but I never really felt to good. My right leg was stiff and it didn’t loosen up. It was tight the rest of the night and I was debating making Tuesday an easy night instead of a tempo run.

I parked at the Art Museum Tuesday night to put in a few extra miles before the group run. The evening was colder than it has been with a stiff wind from the east that is the norm in the winter but it has been lacking this year. I went out at a comfortable pace and felt good, no sign of that tightness in my leg.

Warmed everything up for 3 miles and then joined the group. There wasn’t anybody there to join me for tempo pace and I thought I would be going this one alone. Feeling better, I was determined to get a good workout in but some company would be nice. Just before the start of the run Stevus and new guy Cole popped up. I was in luck.

Cole is a damn fast runner and would be perfect rabbit as long as he didn’t go out to fast. Even if he did at least I would have somebody to run with the first couple miles and then I could just try an hang on. We got off to good pace from the start and the first mile went by in 6:40. The wind was blowing hard in our faces and it made it difficult to pick up the pace.

Second mile went by in 6:28, which was getting closer to tempo pace. Third mile was in 6:26 not much quicker but we had stopped to turn around. Now the wind was at our backs and things picked up, fourth mile in 5:59. I thought we were at 6:15 – 6:20 pace and it was feeling a little difficult. Now I know why.

I jumped from above my tempo pace to below my tempo pace over two miles and was thinking of slowing down a little for the last one. That went out the window with my quarter mile split in 1:27. What the hell, I might as well just keep it up and get this over with as soon as I can. Although I didn’t specifically ask him to Cole was leading me perfectly staying a few strides ahead and this urged me up to the Art Museum for final mile at 5:54.

31:33 for the 5 miles. My fastest Tuesday night run to date! This is also only 15 seconds slower than a 5 mile race I did in February last year and I ran that race all out without 3 miles beforehand. It was also the first time I’ve strung 2, sub 6:00 miles together in a training run.

I was ecstatic at the end of the run. In the past several months, I’ve just felt like the speed wasn’t there. I wasn’t as fast as I had been and it wasn’t getting any better. It is most likely in my head but I had not completed any runs that made me feel otherwise until last night.

One thing I hope to change though is my pacing. I averaged 6:19 pace for the 5 miles, which is right in tempo range, but none of my miles were at that pace. I’ll try to stay between 6:15 – 6:20 for 4 miles next week. A more even pace will make for a less strenuous run and will probably work my lactic threshold a little better like these runs are supposed to.

One last thing. I just saw that Ryan Hall at 24 has shattered the American half-marathon record with a 59:43 in Houston. Wow. From what I could find on the internet it looked to be the 6th fastest time ever at that distance. Amby's Blog.