Fitness Confirmed

Today I ran 14 miles. I wanted to run 7 of those miles at 40%, what I supposed would be a manageable amount of faster running after the combination of intensity and volume I had last week. The last thing I wanna do is run myself into the ground, so I decided a cautious approach would be best today.

After running my first of the faster miles in sub 5:50 at what felt like a fast jog, I knew today was going to be a good day. All in all, I ran the 7 in 39:10 (5:35/mi) with splits of: 5:47, 5:42 (11:29), 5:39 (17:08), 5:33 (22:41), 5:32 (28:13), 5:29 (33:42), 5:28 (39:10).

I'd say this was much easier than the 12 I did at 6 minute pace a month ago, even though the last 10 miles of this run were a respectable 59:04. I was definitely pushing the pace and working hard, but I felt strong and in control the entire time. The pace never felt all-out and remained aerobic throughout.

To put this run in perspective: my last five miles were 27:41 which is faster than all but three of my 8k race times in college, and only 11 seconds slower than the 8k I ran in March. My last six miles were 33:23, only 18 seconds slower than I came through six miles at the Pike's Peek 10k. I'm definitely improving--but more importantly this shows that I have the ability to race faster. I'm excited to see what I can accomplish this summer!