Run. Fast.

The heat has really affected my pace this summer, which I suppose goes for everyone else, really. When I started running, I just hoped to make it to a 10 minute/mile pace. I got there this past winter. Not for every run, but I did it a few times. And my big goal was to run a sub 30-minute 5k. And I did in December. This summer, though, I've mostly been running at an 11 or 12 minute/mile pace, which has been disappointing. I think I made it to 10'30" once.

Anyway, today I thought I would see if I could run a sub 30-minute 5k. I wondered how I could do if I did run in a race. And the weather was perfect. It was 75 and overcast. I ran as hard as I could, and my watch said my pace was about 9'08" about the whole time, which would have put me under thirty minutes. In the last mile, I was so beat. I felt nauseous and crampy. I had to count to 20 over and over just to finish the last half mile. I made it, though. In the end (despite what my watch said), I ran a 9'44" minutes per mile pace with a 30:44 5k time. Not my goal all the way, but I am proud of myself for truly pushing myself to my limit. I am proud that I am capable of running fast (for me). And it just gets me excited for fall (and not heatwave weather) because I think this hard training in the heat is going to pay off with some good speed in the fall.




Here are my splits:
1 mi: 9'41"
2 mi: 9'49"
3 mi: 9'37"

Last winter, I ran a 5k race in under 30 minutes. However, my first mile was my fastest ever (8'43"ish) and the last two miles were barely under 10 minutes. So, while this 5k here around the neighborhood was about a minute slower, I was more consistent with my times. I'm excited to maybe try a 5k in the fall. Maybe I'll PR.

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