Today sets a new personal best for me. It is not a PR, but it is really close. It was not a race, but I ran it almost like a race. Today's run was one of the best I have ever had and came very close to being a PR, even though it wasn't a race.Since today is a holiday and I am at home I decided to not get up at 4:40 to go running, but rather sleep in a little bit..... OK, a lot. I rolled out of bed just before 9:00 and decided to head out for a run. My running partner is out of town so I could run whatever I wanted to.
I actually set out for a 4 miler, but about 1/2 mile into it I decided I would change that up and see if I could finally break into the 7's. I have been flirting with the 7's for about a month now and have gotten as close as 8:02, but have not been able to break through........ until today!
The first mile didn't get me there (8:08), but it put me at the pace that I needed to be at that would get me there in the second mile.... all I needed to do was keep it up. The second mile felt great, but I really could feel that I was pushing the limit a bit. As I rounded the corner coming up on the last 2 tenths of the second mile I looked down at my watch and knew that I would accomplish what I set out to do. The second mile did in fact turn out to be my first 7:xx mile in over a year.
Just over a year ago I was running most of my races in the 7's, including my 10k's, but then as many of you know that all came to an abrupt end when I was tripped in a race and fell and broke my collar bone. After 8 months of not running, I was nowhere near the 7's. I have now officially made it back to the 7's and I am happy :)
My second mile turned out to be a 7:36, so I didn't just get into the 7's I blew past the top of the 7's and settled just above the mid 7's. As if the second mile was not good enough, I was in a good groove and continued to run what felt good. My third mile was even better than number 2, clocking in at a 7:19!
I finished off the run with a .1 so I could call it a 5k, plus I wanted to see how close I could come to my Racing PR of 23:23 for a 5k. I came much closer than I would have guessed. This is the fastest 5k training run I have ever run, with a 23:49 and a 7:40 pace..... and I came in just 26 seconds above my 5k race PR, a race PR set over a year ago before my injury.
If you cannot tell from the way this is written - I am very very happy! :)
Way to go! It's a brilliant feeling when everything comes together and you're in the zone, no matter what it is you're doing.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes it is :)
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome. Just imagine how much faster you could go with a rabid dog on your heels... well maybe just some competition would do :)
ReplyDeleteI think I will opt for the competition. A rabid dog would probably do the trick too, but wouldn't be nearly as fun. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that was a nice run! I know what you mean about "getting into the 7's" again. I recently crossed that threshold myself and it felt great. A tempo run like that should set you up for a faster base pace even in your slower runs. Don't do like me, though, and start "racing" too much of your training. I did that a few years ago and became chronically overtrained. Something I'm committed to NOT doing anymore. But congrats on the great run!
ReplyDeleteThanks Colin!
ReplyDeleteI have already noticed my slow runs speeding up over the past month or two. I need to do the same and make sure I don't race every run.... I could be that type as well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Colin!
ReplyDeleteI have already noticed my slow runs speeding up over the past month or two. I need to do the same and make sure I don't race every run.... I could be that type as well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Colin!
ReplyDeleteI have already noticed my slow runs speeding up over the past month or two. I need to do the same and make sure I don't race every run.... I could be that type as well.
Thanks for stopping by!