Exceeding expectations

Day 235 - April 28, 2008

Decided to run a tempo run today and chose a 3 loop route around the neighborhood. There are plenty of small hills to mix it up on the loop and not a run I normally do for fun. Typically, the loop takes 9:40 to 10:00 minutes to complete so I was hoping to run the 3 loops in under 29 minutes.

As I started out on the first lap I found it really hard to catch my breath. My chest felt tight and I'm not really sure why. The rain had cleared out and the air was crisp and clean. I pushed through it and eventually was able to gather my breath and pick up the pace. The first lap ended in 9:28, which was well under pace.

As the second lap went on, I felt my breathing picking up and my pace getting faster. The watch confirmed that. The second lap split was almost 25 seconds faster at 8:51. I thought I was struggling on the third lap. My breathing was really hard and I developed a side stitch. I thought I had just hit the wall, but it turns out it was the good pain that comes from running too fast. I finished the third lap in 8:37 - 50 seconds faster than the first lap.

It was good to run fast over a tough course. I feel like I'm starting to bounce back from the Feb-April lull that was holding me at 14-16 miles a week. We'll see if I can maintain it.

Day: 235 Time/Date: 5:50 PM 4/28/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 61F
Run: Twin Lakes Miles: 3.9 26:56 Pace: 6:54 min/mile
Miles to Date: 796.5 Total Running Time: 97:34:16