Yesterday morning I did a little over 7 miles at Seneca and Cherokee Parks in Louisville, KY. It was a cold morning but once again, the parks seemed crowded with runners, which is motivational for me in a communal sort of way. In the first mile, I was running next to a guy who started up a conversation with me. Normally, I am a huffer and a puffer and I am not much for chatting, but it was pleasant. He asked how many miles I was going, my route, and how old I was. He mentioned that he was 56, and was going to have a birthday today. (Happy Birthday, whoever you are!)
I started out a little faster than my normal pace, and although I did not have a specific route plan to give me seven miles, I had my Forerunner 305 with me. I felt like I was running strong but maybe a little too strong for my injury. When I got done, I knew maybe I had pushed myself a bit. I was limping noticeably all day yesterday after the run, and just a little this morning. I guess that comes with the territory.
When I reviewed the lap numbers from my watch, especially after uploading them to motionbased, I was able to learn a little something more about my running. Looking at my laps, my average miles per hour stayed fairly consistent, and my pace was consistent in miles one through six. Mile 7 was a lot slower.
I knew I was feeling tired by then, but the pace seemed even more slower than I thought it would be. Looking at the statistics further, I think the long, slow elevation of the seventh mile explains it. There were other elevation jumps prior to that, but they were steeper and didn’t last as long.
Here are my numbers for the run:
| Total Time (h:m:s) | 1:09:28 | 9:32 pace |
|---|---|---|
| Distance (mi) | 7.28 | |
| Moving Speed (mph) | 6.3 avg. | 9.5 max. |
| Elevation Gain (ft) | +537 / -537 | |
| Temperature (F) | 32 F avg. | 33.8 F high |
| Wind Speed (mph) | NE 0.9 avg. | NE 3.5 max. |
| Lap | Time | Distance | M Spd | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (#) | (m:s) | (mi ) | (mph) | (Cal) |
| 1 | 9:06 | 1 | 7.8 | 177 |
| 2 | 9:08 | 1 | 7.6 | 180 |
| 3 | 9:50 | 1 | 8.1 | 178 |
| 4 | 9:33 | 1 | 7.8 | 177 |
| 5 | 9:32 | 1 | 8.1 | 177 |
| 6 | 9:27 | 1 | 7.4 | 181 |
| 7 | 10:13 | 1 | 7.8 | 179 |
| 8 | 2:37 | 0.27 | 7.2 | 48 |
I felt pretty good, first mile the fastest at 8:55, then 9:33, then 9:47. But the key is my hip flexor pain wasn’t as bad. My plan is to run 7 on Saturday, then next Monday and Wednesday, run 3 each day. Then next Saturday, up the long run to 8, building up one mile each week till I get to 13. Then I will just do alternating long runs every Saturday of 10 and 6, all the way up until the mini. Here’s to strategic planning!
