Well, as quick as I can usually be without a downhill grade the whole way! ;o)
I completed the Couch-to-5K program some weeks ago and wasn't completely sure where to go from there. While I was training, I told myself that improving pace was the first priority and then I'd go for distance. Weeks later, I guess must have forgotten that little tidbit and I've been pushing distance instead, all that goading from certain folks who shall remain nameless.
After a weekend of recovering my calves from Wednesday's focus on proper running form (balls of the feet strike first) and a slightly horrible run on Friday (three miles running plus two miles walking home), my calves are still not 100 percent. My achilles are tender and sore, likely from pushing them too hard rather than any injury caused by the heels of my shoes -- in the summer, I spend a lot of time in a pair of Teva sandals.
So anyway, about today's run... A somewhat hot 85 degrees, luckily tempered with a relatively low 53% humidity. Sun was out in force at the start, but slipped behind cloud cover some time after the first mile.
With the mile and a half out I attempted to keep my foot strikes to the balls and returned a respectable time of 9:46 for the first mile. Discount the time waiting for the traffic light to change and it's maybe 30 seconds or more lighter. Suppose I should pull out the iPhone and stop the clock while I'm waiting, but it's not convenient enough to warrant the effort.
Return trip from the halfway point was noticeably lacking in energy and I took most of the distance the "wrong way", heel-striking because of the calves. I could tell I wasn't moving as fast, but the audible prompts for "current pace" from RunKeeper aren't always that accurate -- I could feel it and I just knew I was moving slower. The wait at the traffic light was shorter than the run out so I have no excuses there.
But, I feel good about the faster overall times, something I know I could keep steadier if it weren't for all these up and down grades along my route.
Start Time 5:11 pm | End Time | Duration 0:32:04
| Distance 3.04 mi | Avg. Pace 10:32 per mi |
| mi | pace | climb (ft) |
| 1 | 9:46 | 38 |
| 2 | 10:40 | 61 |
| 3 | 11:10 | 51 |
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