This was a near perfect day for a long run: cool, almost cold at the start at 45 degrees, overcast, not much wind. It rained lightly for about 1/3 of the run.
We joined the running club for a run in Lawrence, starting on the KU campus, winding through downtown and then across the dam, on the levy for 6 miles and into the countryside for a couple miles before heading back. The course is mostly flat, except for the the first two (and last two) miles, which are a challenging uphill on the return trip.
I went out with the 10-min. pace group, and decided to stay with the pace leader for the first 10 miles. As a result, I averaged 10:20 or so before the turn, which was fine, because it meant was still fresh at the turn.
As soon as I turned I was by myself the rest of the way, since no one else in our group was going 20. I immediately headed for the 9-min. range and stayed there. In fact, I was usually under 9. We'd been warned about trying to maintain goal pace for the last two miles, which were up hill, but I was able to anyway, though I did slow a little bit. Those miles were under 9, and my final mile was 8:28.
Only problem: my Achilles tendon got a bit sore again. I really thought that was a thing of the past. This is a concern, for sure, but I think it will be OK if I don't overdo it between now and taper time, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. I'll do plenty of therapy on it and, of course, rest as much as I have to.
Overall, I did the 20 miles 3:11.38, or a 9:32 average. The pace on the back 10 was something like 8:52 per mile.
If not for the Achilles issue, it would have been perfect.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment