Friday 5K tempo run (1 mile warmup, 5K in 21:56, .9 mile cooldown)

Today's run was a test of my fitness. I wanted to run a fast-ish 5K race as the tempo phase of my 5 mile run. I ran a real leisurely mile at 9:13/mile pace then I set the treadmill for 8.5 mph (7:03/mile pace) and ran 3.1 miles (5K). I held the pace the whole time and had to fight myself not to "kick" the last half mile since this workout was supposed to be my easy run I missed on Thursday. I finished the remainder of the fifth mile with 6.5 mph setting to about 800 meters and 7 mph for the last half mile. Total: 5 miles - 39:08 - 7:50/mile pace.

This was nice confidence boost because I have rarely tried to run that fast for a sustained period and it actually felt kind of easy after my system stopped freaking out at 1 mile. Its funny that this speed thing really is about guts IMO. I have not been used to overcoming the freak out thing your body goes through when it is testing its thresholds, I suspect this is the same for everybody. Let me try an analogy with skiing. If you are a relatively new skier and you go to the top of your first blue square slope you'll see a hill that you can't walk up and would have to slide down. You would think, "I am going to fall if I ski that thing and it's going to hurt," but if you are prepared you won't fall. You will start to go fast down the hill and be scared. You will "freak out" but when it's time to make that first turn, you just make it like you did on the bunny slopes. Then you make the next turn and the next. Sometimes you will decide to slow down, but you realize that if you are in control at the higher rate of speed why should you slow down. It doesn't even feel appropriate. So, my point is that I have trained to be faster, I have done the work I can run faster if I choose to I just have to not let the freak out win.

Wednesday Key Workout 3x1 mi intervals (6:44, 6:50, 6:56)

First things first, I totally kicked butt in today's interval workout. I did three 1 mile intervals in 6:44, 6:50, and 6:56. This was not really expected. The target was to run a 10K pace, which I thought was around 7:15 min/mi for me. My splits were as follows:

• Warmup - 1 mile (8:35 pace)
• Interval One - 1 mile (6:44 pace)
• Rest - .25 mile
• Interval Two - 1 mile (6:50 pace)
• Rest - .25 mile
• Interval Three - 1 mile (6:56 pace)
• Rest - .25 mile
• Cooldown - 1.77 mile (7:41 pace)

Total - 6.52 miles in 55:43 (including rest)

The mental side of running has been my current focus. I have finish many "tough" workouts without gasping and feeling totally expended. Do I have the ability to push myself to achieve my best? How long has it been since I have left myself "gassed" with my hands on my knees? How come I've never puked from a really tough run? I used to ask myself all of these questions and have resolved to no longer do so. Instead I will relax. Relaxation is the key.

The endless, doubting questions were a waste of time. I needed to clear my mind and focus only on running easy, with good form. I didn't bring my iPod this time preferring to uncomplicate my mission of finding the pace I thought was most probable for a 10K effort. I have not run an official 10K in a year and a half but last Summer I gave a personal 10K a decent go (48-ish), so I knew that a mid-seven minute mile pace was in my reach. I ran until I felt the need to mouth breathe just to get enough oxygen, but I knew I had enough leg strength to keep from having to walk. Each interval felt about the same in exertion, but I played around with stride length to hold back the fatigue.

I am happy to have found this kind of results in my efforts. I think that it is a measure of my fitness to have tried a workout such as this and exceed my expectations.