8.69 Miles Easy

Mile 1	7:07
Mile 2	6:42
Mile 3	6:39
Mile 4	6:44
Mile 5	6:37
Mile 6	6:38
Mile 7	6:36
Mile 8	6:45
Mile 9	5:54
Total Average Pace:	6:40

I have to admit, before today’s run I was a little excited. Yesterday I had noticed a change in my leg strength. I was running sub 6:20 pace in highly adverse conditions with about as much ease as maybe a 7:00 minute pace run. Even though I crashed the last few miles I knew there was a change in me. So I was pumped up for today’s run. Sure enough, I was late out the door once again as I arrived at the park after 9am. It wasn’t as humid but it was sunny and hot with no shade. I started off my run right away at a pretty quick pace. The one thing I did notice was that I was still fatigued a little bit from yesterday’s run. So I kept it at an easy pace. The pace ended up anywhere from 6:30s to 6:40s. During the last mile as I was finishing up my run, a guy made an obvious attempt to try and catch me. And catch me he did. So we were running side by side for a while. Then he made a move and the competitor in me picked up the pace ever so slightly. I picked it up enough to where eventually I could hear him laboring a bit and finally he just let go right before the starting 0 marker. I ended up finishing at sub 6 pace. This was actually the first time I had been at sub 6 pace since my last race in early April. I have to tell ya, that was the easiest 5:51 pace that I have run in quite a while. All this is happening while I have run the most miles I have run in a couple of years. Today’s total puts me at 73 miles for the week, a little short of my 77 mile goal, but I’m still happy. I’m 5 weeks into my base building phase with no speed or tempo work yet and I’m liking the changes I’m seeing. I think I’m fit as a fiddle. I’m going to wait till my next cut back week and then I’ll throw in a tempo workout. Next week will be even tougher.