Although I've had trouble with my long runs this training period, my shorter runs are going very well.
Today I was scheduled to do 5 miles with 3 of them at tempo. Since the weather was crappy (rain, sleet, and snow), I ran on the indoor track at RPAC while the kids were at swim practice.
My first and last miles were slow and don't really deserve time stats, but I'll note them anyway. The first was 10:38 but I stopped half way through, off the clock, and stretched for a few minutes and then I stopped after the first mile and stretched more. My cool down mile was 13:01 and included quite a bit of walking because I was spent after running the 3 mile tempo.
The middle three miles were at a continuous sub-9 minute pace. Sub-9 is extremely fast for me for just one mile, let alone 3. My miles were 8:54, 8:59, 8:50 and I didn't even keep an eye on the time during the run. Truth be told, age has caught up with me and I need glasses. When I'm running, I can only read the total time of the workout on my Ironman watch. The current split time display is too small. I guess that's one way to wean myself off of the need for speed. However, I can still read the split in recall mode after the run.
My 5K was 28:13 because I walked a bit during the last .1 mile of the 5K distance. If I would have been shooting for a 5K instead of just 3 miles, I probably could have dug deeper for a sub-28.
As it was, I struggled to hang on to the quick pace, especially during the last mile. I was continuously reminding myself that this was a tempo run and, as a former musician, I knew tempo meant I needed to try to stay at the same pace all the time. The most effective things I did to cling to the tempo were to manage my breathing and force my body to relax when I got tense and tired.
During the run I wore my new Lymphedema glove. It is so much better than the old glove, so I think I'll keep it. I have an appointment with the Lymphedema specialist tomorrow morning and will get her opinion on the fit.
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