Long run with 5k 'race'. Finally, a nice day! Very little wind, sunny, and +8F. That doesn't sound like much, but when you're used to -10F or colder every f***ing day for two months, it makes a big difference. Did 14 miles around 6:25-6:30 pace, then jumped into a 5k, and finally, finished with another few miles. I figured I had preliminary speed coming up on Monday, so I could sneak in a couple of MP miles and a quick finish without getting too far off the plan. After deciding three-quarters of a mile into the race to close the five-second gap and commit, I hit the first mile with the lead pack in 5:41. Mile two slowed a bit to a 5:52, which set me up perfectly for the last mile. I opened up and cruised in for the win, finishing with a surprisingly comfortable 5:07. Having not run a mile faster than 5:56 since November, I was shocked. Pretty cool.
Anyway, I got a few more miles in before getting that feeling that the long run was long enough, so I went back to race HQ to chat, eat, and drink a bit. All in all, a very nice way to break out of the Winter from Hell. Legs felt great the rest of the day, never feeling tired or sore. Even did an hour of sledding with the kids after. Good day.
4 comments:
"A comfortable 5:07 last mile." Very Nice.
No, doesn't sound like much. -13C!
I'm taking a wild guess here... 15:40 for 3 miles, so about 16:20 for 5k?
I'm glad we don't use the centigrade scale here, or I'd still be complaining!
That should be 16:40 for 3 miles, so probably 17:15 for 5k. The race timer read out 16:56, which was not correct.
That's right - I forgot to carry the minute. 17:15 is still quick as part of a 20 miler.
Numbers can be psychological. Anything below 0C down here is bloody cold. Anything faster than 3:00 per km is bloody fast.
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