Saturday morning

I love Saturday mornings. I met two of my girlfriends for a run this morning at 8:30 AM. One friend has been having trouble with her foot and the other is just getting back into running. So, we decided to start out slow. The first 2 to 3 miles we did at a > than 10 min/mile pace...probably around 10:30 min/mile. After about 25 minutes, Chris and I picked it up and what we covered in 30 minutes on the way out, we covered in 26 minutes on the way back. I was happy with that. It was a great run. I felt very good which was a surprise since I had run sprints last night on the treadmill and didn't go to bed until well after 1 AM last night. I figured I would be tired. Once again I am learning that starting out slow is very beneficial. It makes for a more comfortable run and you can really pick it up on the tail end of the run.

I am trying to vary my treadmill routine so I don't get burned out. Last night, I warmed up for 5 minutes at just under 11 min/mile pace and then did 10 min/mile pace for 5 minutes. The I ran at a 8:20 min/mile (faster than my best 5K race pace) pace for three minutes, then recovered for three minutes. I repeated this two more times. It was challenging but I know it will improve my performance. Then I walked uphill on a 10% incline for five minutes for recovery. I let myself walk this part because it was very warm in the gym due to our mild weather. Then I jogged again for 5 minutes or so and then did one more set of 3 minutes at 8:20. Then jogged until I reached 45 minutes. By doing this routine, I my turnover and should improve my speed. I have a couple of other workouts to add to the mix as well such as hill climbing for strength. Another challenge has actually been doing weights. I don't enjoy doing weights like I used to. I need to get in a steady routine for that as well. One thing at a time.