Did a nice easy run at the gym tonight. I was aiming for a “tempo” run – easy to moderate. I set my goal beforehand at 40 minutes or 3.5 miles, whichever came first.
Tried to keep a steady pace. Did almost the first mile at a 10:10 pace to warm up, then the next mile and a half at about a 9:50 pace – just until I was averaging a 10:00 pace. Then just tried to zone out and not think about anything for the next mile and a half. As I approached 3.5 miles, I negotiated with myself, realized I was a little tired but could still manage the remaining distance to 4 miles and 40 minutes.
Just to finish strong, I pushed the pace up to 8:00 for the last 0.1 mile. Felt good. When 4 miles came up, I felt like I could have gone farther, which is exactly what I was aiming for – leaving a little something on the machine.
Music was The Long Winters’ first album. Wore the Asics. Did not use the inhaler, even though I felt a bit stuffed up all day. But whatever was wrong with my sinuses did not affect my run much. Once I got going, I breathed easily and steadily. My heart rate felt nice and strong but not overworked.
My stride, though… was weird. It felt like my right leg was going farther than my left leg, so I had to consciously pull back with my right to keep from falling off the treadmill. Other than that, my muscles and joints, from my hips down to my feet, were fine once I was warmed up.
Plans for the week – either Tuesday or Thursday are optional; I’ll do one or the other. Wednesday is speed day (my normal treadmill intervals), Friday is a moderately long but easy day (aiming for 5 miles), then Saturday is my long day (at least 7.5 miles). Sunday is a rest day.
It’s nice, this week I have Friday off. Three-day weekends are the bestest.