Had a breakthrough run of sorts last night - or at least a breakthrough for me and other mere mortals.
Had planned to head over to my favorite running trail and do 1 or 2 slow loops and then get back home to help with the kids. Wife calls and asks me to pickup dinner and then I need to take my younger son over to his friends house to spend the night (I'm friends with that Dad). No problem, pickup dinner on the way home, eat and then put my running stuff on - kids house is basically on the way so working out as planned so far. I get to their house and my buddy insists on showing me some clips on Netflix from the Seinfeld Coffee with Comedians in Cars (or whatever it's called). I protest that I have to get to my run but he insists. No big deal, should just be a few minutes and then I'm off. 20 minutes later he's opening me a beer (and then 2 more) again while I'm "protesting". Anyway, I stick around and shoot the #### and play bsketball with the boy. Get home about 9 and plan to catch the end of the Royals game (hi >
@ChiefD). As I pull in the driveway - I'm like, f this, I need to HTFU (just a little at least) and go run. So I head out in the dark through the neighborhood to do a 5k.
Now IMO, my neighborhood is hilly. You flatlanders may think I live in the Alps and Duck would think I live in Kansas but it's pretty hilly for me. But, with it being dark I somewhat stupidly decide it's a good idea to runner faster so I'm not out as long (still a little unsure my logic on this). I decide to not turn on my heart rate monitor and just run. I'm working hard for me and get to the first big hill - I'm in the low 9 minute mile pace at that point - knowing I'm not going to keep that up - I decide at that point that I'm going to be under 10 minute miles or puke trying. I get to the 1 mile mark in 9:37. I'm thinking that's about as slow as I could be to have a chance during the first mile. The next mile is mostly flat with one big hill so I decide to try and stay around 9:30 pace for everything but the hill and just do my best to get up it as quick as I can. Hit 2 mile mark and I'm at 9:47 pace. Damn - I was think I needed to be a little lower to have a chance. My HR I'm sure was in the 170s at this point and I'm laboring but able to maintain pace on the flat and slight inclines. I know this last 1.1 miles has a long slight incline and then the steepest section of the route. I know I have to be 20-30 seconds under before I get to that hill. And I am but I'm really laboring to get to that point. That .1 mile up that incline was the hardest I've worked running in many years. Problem is the end of that climb still let me .3 mile to go but thankfully almost perfectly flat. I get up the hill and dead on 9:57 pace - in my head I'm thinking I've got this and I'll be able to bring that down 1 or 2 seconds. Instead I just barely hung on and finished at that same 9:57 pace - 30:51 with 346 ft of elevation.
I was
when I was done, mainly because I was done but also, that's the first time in probably 13 years that I've run a 5k in under 10 minute mile pace. Also, in my mind, 115 ft. elevation per mile is somewhat significant - don't know if there's any kind of pace calculator that estimate pace without elevation but I'm thinking I could maybe do a 9:30 pace on a flat track (maybe faster?). Anyway, it's nothing compared to most of you guys but I was really happy when I got home - no boner like Chief but happy nonetheless.