Birthday run

It's my 42nd B-day so goddamn it I ran outside and god-damn I was gonna run hard!!! Temp was in the 30s and I though the ground would be clear of snow/ice...  

I took off fast but relaxed, trying to keep things under control for the 1st mile.  I made a point not to look at my watch but in review I was going 6:40 pace.  Mile 2 I maintained 6:40 pace, attacking the hills... the extra effort was starting to take it out of me.  Mile 3 I turned the corner and was suddenly going into the wind...  the road which had mostly been okay was suddenly much more slick.  The snow and ice that had melted yesterday had left enough water to refreeze over night.  It wasn't really in danger of slipping but I was definitely losing traction and push off.  About 1/3 of the way up the road I encountered a skunk on the side of the road.  It turned toward me to face me and arched it's back like a cat!  Could have been worse.  I was about 12 feet away at the closest point and quickly increased that distance as I continued down the road.  I finished up that 3rd mile in 6:55 and at that point was starting to feel toasted.

Rounding the corner, out of the wind, I decided to stop pressing and relax a bit.  It did the trick and I started to feel better... the stretch has a bit of a downhill as well that reduced my efforts just enough to allow me to recover.  Finishing up that 4th mile I wound up hitting my fastest split up to that point at 6:36.  I was surprised because mile 4 definitely felt easier than either mile 2 or mile 3.  

I started ramping up the effort a bit for the last mile but tried to still stay relaxed.  It's amazing how much easier it is to ramp up the effort when you know you only have a mile left.  I buckled down and ran the last mile in 6:16.  

Final Stats:

5.01 miles

33:13

6:37 pace

I ended doubled over with my hands on my knees but quickly recovered my composure and continued on for a 2 mile cooldown to get a total of 7 miles in.

I've ran this 5 mile segment 28 times in the last year according to Strava and this was my fastest per mile pace by 11 seconds.  Based on the weather and the point I'm at in my season I was very pleased.   

This was my first time running under 7 minute average pace (outdoors anyway) since Thanksgiving when I ran the exact same 5.01 miles in 35:00.  I was nervous for the effort but am happy with the results and looking forward to improving upon them as my season progresses.  Hoping for a slightly warmer day with no wind or ice to contend with, so I can put on my Vaporfly's and smash!