Trying to save a few seconds

I woke up this morning at 5am.  My alarm clock never went off. Nothing was wrong. The sun wasn’t out. In fact, it was still pitch black outside. I was just awake. I guess I just needed 7 hours of sleep last night. I got out of bed, so I wouldn’t wake up Christian. I followed my normal morning routine. I checked the weather.

IT WAS 57 DEGREES OUTSIDE!

57 degrees heading into Labor Day weekend in Virginia! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I stepped outside, and it felt chilly.  It was the perfect morning to head out for a morning run.  (It did eventually warm up to be around 85 degrees, but even that feels great after the summer we have experienced).

As I put on my running clothes, I knew I needed today to be a good run. Monday’s run was awful, and yesterday I walked 4 miles.  Although I love running in our neighborhood, I didn’t want to get stuck in my same old pattern. Since I woke up before the sun, I had enough time to drive to First Land State Park. Remember my GREAT 12 mile run in the park? How could I go wrong with this location again today.

I couldn’t! Today’s run was everything I needed it to be. I ran 4 miles. I was technically only supposed to run 2-3 miles, but I know how miserable I am for the first 2-3 miles of every run. I couldn’t stop feeling miserable with a race this weekend. The first two miles were okay. Not great. Not bad. My leg only cramped a little today, so that is something to celebrate. My back only hurt the first 1/2 mile. That is an even bigger reason to celebrate. Things started to pick up during the 3rd mile and by mile 4 I had a smile on face. Everything felt great. My legs felt good. My back felt good. I couldn’t have kept on going if I didn’t have to get to work or run 13.1 miles this weekend.

Thank goodness for today’s run and today’s weather.  The weather forecast is also looking good for Sunday (always a huge gamble when signing up for this race. It can be brutally hot.)

1 – 12:53

2 – 13:30

3 – 13:42

4 – 12:54

5 (.16) – 11:49 pace

Total – 4.16 miles at a pace of 13:12

I’ve got to be careful of miles like #3 during the race. If I plan on seeing a number below 3 hours, I have to keep my pace below 13:40 AND I know I’m going to need a bathroom break along the way. Every second counts especially when you need a few extra minutes to take a bathroom break and wave hello to family.

Dream Goal – under 3:00 hours

Realistic Goal – 3:10

3 more days until race day. 1 more day until the expo! and now I’m off to Yoga!