12 Mile Long Run
8k Race in 29:32
7 runs
1 Lift session
1 Deep Stretch Class
1 Mobility Class
I hadn't planned on racing the CRC 8k, but after the gun went off and my legs felt good, I decided to. I had contemplated running with Anna and holding hands as we crossed the finish line, but my competitive spirit got the best of me and I decided to take advantage of this situation to test my fitness. I went through the first mile with Ben Hovis' high school star, Emma, on my right shoulder. We came through in a relaxed 6:01. I didn't want to run over 30:00 for this race, so I set my sights on the guys in the club that I normally beat and tried to catch them. Mile 2: 5:57. By the 2.5 mile marker, I had caught Matt Rich and John Fillette. Up until that point, I had several men to set as targets to reach, but after that, it was somewhat lonely. There was a pack of guys about 200m in front of me, so I kept driving my pace to pass them. Mile 3: 5:54, Mile 4: 5:55. I passed all the people who were within a reasonable distance of me and continued to pass more in the last mile. I felt relaxed until the fifth mile and began to feel fatigued before crossing the finish line in 29:32.
While I would have liked this effort to feel a little bit easier than it actually did, I am quite happy with where my fitness stands right now. Over the past three months, I've averaged under 40 miles a week and haven't done any real workouts. This race effort only puts me 83 seconds from my 8k PR, which I hope to break this year.
Additionally, I was able to hit 60 miles and still put in a decent race effort. I plan to stick between 60-70 miles for the next couple of months so that I can stay healthy and avoid overtraining. I may perhaps do a Fall marathon, but we'll see how this spring training segment goes before making any decisions.
