Yesterday was the first "long run" of the program, a distance of five miles (which, by the twelfth week, will be a "short run"). Because of the temperature and humidity (81 degrees Fahrenheit and 88%) at four in the morning, I decided to modify the run a little bit. I wouldn't call it cheating, since this will be my strategy for the marathon anyway, but I didn't want to kill myself for a mere-five miler. For every ten minutes of running, I did one minute of walking, the idea being that I'd still have some gas in the tank at the end.
It actually worked out. I started out faster than I wanted to, about 9'20" and change, but slowed down to just above my so-far-normal pace at around 9'40". Hit my first walking part at almost 1.1 miles, then kept that up for the next four. Still a little tough at the end, but I gave it a little extra boost knowing the finish was in sight. Of course, realizing that I would be late for work if I didn't was also a great motivator.
The end result was that my average pace was 10'12" with the walks included, which I am quite happy with, given the conditions. If I hadn't included those little breaks, I'm sure that the pace would have been much slower.
At the end, Shalane Flanagan says I ran my fastest 5K to date, second time this week that happened. I guess I'm doing something right.
This time the run was straight up OFR to the Parkway overpass by Whitty Road, then back.
Tomorrow is another short run, a three mile course through the neighborhood. I plan on running that one without breaks, so the pace might be a little slower, but the temperature is supposed to be around 70 F at four in the morning, so it hopefully will even out.
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