5 Miles Hard

I should probably try to run some fall races to take advantage of my recent training and continue to build my fitness...  wasn't originally planning on it but seems like I should try to break 20 minutes for the 5K this fall once the weather cools.

Ran an easy 3 yesterday.

3.13 miles
26:01 minutes
8:19 pace

Not slow enough probably but 8:19 felt pretty darn good and by yesterday afternoon I was itching to run a hard workout.

So I went out today and ran 5, comfortably hard.

5.02 miles
36:50
7:20 pace

Mile 1: 7:34
Mile 2: 7:34
Mile 3: 7:21
Mile 4: 7:13
Mile 5: 6:55

The air was unseasonably cool for August this morning at ~55 degrees.  don't tell me summers over already now that I'm finally building my fitness!  Legs felt sharp for the first mile and the pace felt good.  I've been making a point to not check my watch too often and run by feel so 7:34 1st mile was a pleasant surprise.  Mile 2 is hilly so holding the 7:34 pace took additional exertion but I still felt comfortable. Maintaining that exertion lead to a 7:21 3rd mile.  By the end of the 4th mile I started to push the pace and ran hard the last mile with an extra hard last 400.

I've been having strong finishes my last few runs without having to push to hard into the pain zone.  It's exhilarating to run fast and not hurt and hopefully something to build on.

My hills have been going great too... I no longer dread them and they barely effect my effort these days, in fact sometimes I feel like I'm running stronger on the hills then on the flats!