Notes
Temp 69 Wind 3 mph. Humidity 85% Dew Point 65°. Warmed to mid-70s.
Long Run. Did not sleep very good again, but yesterday's run helped with recovery. Starting from Jr. High this week. Jog to City Park via Jax Blvd. route. 2.81 miles at 7:45 average pace.
12:00 minutes of drills and striders, then 4 x 12-13 second hill repeats with 2:00ish minute walk intervals. Leave the starting line every 130 seconds.
Jog back to Jr. High via Oak Street route. 2.11 miles at 7:49 average pace.
Workout is 5.0 mile tempo run on track. Plan to start at or just below AT. Will play by ear and go full five at AT, or may push towards HM? 15K? 10K? whatever feels prudent. Finally pulling the trigger with a workout in the zero-drop Hattori LCs. Have had them for six months now, so if not ready to workout in them, have no business owning them. Switch from Brooks to Hattoris and empty hand full of change out of my pocket; feels like I am floating on air.
Go through first mile like a breeze. Second mile about the same. Hardly breathing and the only thing I feel is my hip flexors stretch and my feet landing slightly behind me. Know my turnover is quick, but effort is low if anything. Was going to peek at Garmin at two miles, but decided to hold off until flipping directions at half way point. Got there and decided against it thinking that I am cruising and did not want to influence the feel I had for today's effort on the back end. Flip threw me off. Had some trouble getting back into that smooth glide and when I did, was not able to relax my breathing as much as before. Last 2.5 miles became a battle back and forth to hold it together and control my breathing. Yes, it was a battle, but yes was able to do it. Just took a lot of work and focus. Felt an even and smooth increase from AT towards LT, but never hit LT. Ran it way faster than I had any business doing at this effort. Mile splits: 6:34 / 6:37 / 6:38 / 6:38 / 6:38. As valuable a 33:00 minutes of training experience as I can imagine. Renewed respect for what it takes to race a HM at National Class level and renewed confidence that I can get to the place I need to be to do it. Know that on game day (1) will not be at end of high volume training week, (2) should not be a muggy 70+°, (3) will not have done a hilly warm up and hill repeats before hand, and (4) will not be running boring solo loops on a track.
Changed back in Brooks. Only looking for about 10:00 minutes of cool-down time, so ran an Old Toll Road loop. Did not intend to run this much today since I plan on racing next weekend, but big picture is November HM not some dime-a-dozen June 5K. Three dimes, two nickels, and fourteen pennies. May need a shower because I am too nasty to mow the lawn.