8:17 pace and bicycle sprints
Today was supposed to be an easy 3 miles. It wasn’t. I ran at the park because the gym closed early today for the holiday. We had rain this AM while I took my son to soccer class, then it all cleared out and we’ve had bright sun with big fluffy clouds since. Although those fluffy clouds in the distance are looking pretty dark, as I am typing this.
For some reason when I get outside, I end up running too fast. A perfect example of how treadmill running destroys your ability to gauge speed. I carried a bottle of Gatorade and had a PowerGel in my pocket. The PowerGel is entirely unnecessary for a 3 mile run, but I bring one anyway 1) to get used to carrying them and 2) in case I just do something stupid and run way too fast and need a “little something” as Pooh says.
My first mile felt like the right speed but I was working too hard. Check the pulse: 155. Kind of high for a start and my pace? 8:00. WHOA! Way too fast! I tried to slow it down a bit. The path is pretty hilly so its easy to build up speed going down and then wear yourself out when you have to go back up again.
I hit the end of the second mile coming up the big hill. Check the pulse: 171! Yikes! Ok, slow the heck down, stupid. I had tried to keep pace up the hill and obviously it take work to do that :)
So now I’m heading for the end, trying to keep the pace light, but its just so hard. My legs feel better when I run faster but the rest of me is crying. I’m tired and I can tell I’m really pushing it. Pulse has dropped down to the 160’s again, but I’m so tired. Finally I hit the last marker and check the time: 24:00. WHOA! Way too fast for an easy resting training run. Then again, I’d be damn happy if I could finish the 5K with that time.
As it turned out, I only ran 2.9 miles, giving me an 8:17 pace. The markers are laid out funny and I thought I had been subtracting correctly in my head. During my cool down walk, I retraced the end and realized I had cut it short. That’s ok. This is a setback week even though I probably just blew it by running it too fast. Must have been the sunshine and fresh air getting to me.
Ice bath and iced shins when I got home. No real pains, just general tired sore legs but I want to be sure.
As if THAT wasn’t enough, I just got back from taking my son to the same park to help him with his bike riding skills. I am still at the stage of running behind him holding the back of the seat while he peddles and steers. I let go fairly quickly to let him “feel” the bike, but had to keep running with him to make him think I was holding it so he didn’t freak out and crash. Looking back at the number of runs and distance, I figure I did about 500 yards worth of all out sprints, maybe 50 yards at a time.
I think I am going to go and fall into a heap on the living room floor.
