2.8.09

I was exhausted after church so I took a nap. By the time I got up it was too late for a long run, so I turned today into a speed workout. I Invited April to come with me and she was happy to be my timer for the day. It made things a lot easier on me because I didn't have to hold it all the way around the track for four laps. I was feeling alright today, but my right calf/soleus was still hurting a bit as I warmed up for about two miles.

And so the workout began after I showed April how to work the timer. She did a great job after the first lap, calling out the time so I would know my splits. 1:18, 2:40, 4:00, 5:23 first mile! whoo it felt pretty good too. I wore my spikes today so that helped a little bit. Even with that time I had to dodge some kids that were in the first lane, so i actually might have picked up a few seconds if it weren't for that. I took a walk lap with April, then I jogged one and got read for the next mile. Doing some light stretching and form drills helped me stay loose and ready. I had fun doing my drills because it's been too long since I remember last doing any. Also it was BEAUTIFUL today, around 60 degrees and dropping, with maybe a 5 mph wind. Just awesome.

Second lap started off really well. 1:18, 2:42, 4:02, 5:22. I was breathing pretty hard on this one and actually ended up dodging around more people. I suppose thats normal for an actual race though so not a big deal really, but I could have maybe got an extra second or two. I was breathing pretty heavy on this one, especially once I reach that third lap, things started getting a little rough. But it wasn't too bad really and I actually felt a lot more in control than when I was running the 5:40's a few weeks ago. I kind of wanted to end it there, but I decided to continue on and give it another shot. So a walk lap, then a jog lap and the next mile. 1:19, 2:43??(didn't get it), 4:04, 5:23. So I kind of "coasted" the first three laps, just trying to keep a nice hard pace without letting things slip away, but also lengthened my stride and tried to conserve energy for a final push. It worked to an extent and I was able to really give it some gas on the final lap, but the time ended up being about the same because of it, so not a great strategy. I should have just stayed consistent, but honestly I was pretty tired from the first two miles and was getting a little on the lazy side of things.

So holy cow, 5:20's? I guess the spikes/weather/wind and non-sickness/timer have their part to play, but I felt really good on these. I might have been able to burn off another one, but it was getting late and since April was with me I didn't want to keep her there forever. The calf is still sore, but isn't really affecting my stride or anything so I'm not worried about it. I learned that I've really been slacking on my extras (as usual) and even these past few days I lost a little motivation and wasn't even blogging, so sorry for that if you read my stuff daily. I guess it happens to everyone now and then. But after today's session I'm feeling really good and ready to hit the road hard again. Even now at 9pm it's 55 degrees! just a few days ago we had two inches of snow on the ground....weird.

5:13 pm. track. 60 degrees 5mph wind.
1600 @ 5:23,5:22,5:23 w/800m walk/jog recovery
50:30 gf 456/forever 14