What a difference the weather makes! Tonight was cool and dry. A welcome change from the heat and humidity I’ve faced from the start of this year’s quest.
I skipped the morning run in favor of a nighttime run due to my son coming down with a cold last night. I had to take care of the lil guy in the middle of the night, so I needed the extra sleep in the morning.
But I was determined all day to get the run in at night. I made sure 1) to eat only a little for dinner (before the run), and 2) wait over 2 hours after eating.
It all paid off. I ran 3.34 miles in 32:14 (9:38 pace).
I had 3 personal bests:
- 9:38 is the fastest pace I’ve run, given the distance.
- 3.34 miles is the longest I’ve run in my entire life.
- All 3 mile splits were under 10 minutes a mile (I didn’t slow down much at all). 9:19 1st mile, 9:42 the second mile, and 9:45 the 3rd mile.
The run was nearly effortless the entire way. I felt real good. My stride was smooth. I’ve been hoping for over a year that there would be a time that I’d be able to go for a run that’s seemingly effortless. Well that’s done!
Also, only a few times during the entire run did I creep over 10 minutes a mile. I think the CardioTrainer app reads back the pace from the previous minute (not an average), and there were only 2 or 3 times I heard it read a pace over 10 minutes.
I’m really happy with the progress. On top of it all, I did add in the 2 minutes. Each week I’m going to add another 2 minutes until I reach 40. I felt strong enough tonight that I think 4 miles in 40 minutes won’t be a hard task.