Mile 1: Started slightly slushy, but not bad. Felt like it was going to be a battle. Hit the mile at 5:41, not bad for the footing I thought.
Mile 2: The footing actually got better in the second mile, however, I had to run about 10 yards in snow because a short bus and a car converged at exactly the wrong time. Hit the 2 mile mark at 11:27, 5:46, still OK considering the conditions... oh yeah, it's 24 degrees and slightly windy too.
Mile 3: THINGS GOT BAD. First, an SUV that ran off the road was surrounded by a couple police cars. The angry fat cop said to me, as I flew by, "Keep running and you'll end up in a ditch!" I thought to myself, worse yet, I could end up a fat cop, haha. The footing went to hell. It was a thick, snowy, slush... the kind that builds up on the bottom of your shoe and makes every stride a balancing act. I hit the 3 mile turn at 17:35, a 6:07... probably the most effort I've ever given to run a 6+ minute mile.
Mile 4: THINGS GOT WORSE. I crossed paths with an oncoming plow truck about 400m into the 4th mile. The truck was bearing down on me at about 35 mph so I had to scamper across to the opposite side of the road, on the slush mind you, to avoid becoming a pancake, thankful there was no traffic coming from behind. Then, of course, right around the site of the accident a two full scale semi trucks were driving down the road, I've never seen a semi on River Road in my life, and today of all days! I had to scatter across to the opposite side again, close call. Then, immediately after recovering from that, a tractor, yes, like a giant farm tractor, was cruising down the road at me with a full line of traffic behind. He swerved out, but the traffic behind was surprised to see me, making jumps into the snow necessary at times. I missed the 4mi time on my watch because immediately after veering around the accident another two wide-load trucks came at me so I was not thinking of my splits, I was thinking of being split open laying on the road.
Mile 5: The first 200-300m was slushy, then it got good. I knew the footing would be OK because this was part of mile 2. I pushed as hard as I could finishing in 29:20. I'm guessing my 4 mile was around 23:50 (6:15 4th mile), so the final mile may have been about 5:30. I felt good about finishing strong, it made me think I definitely would have done well if the weather, etc. had cooperated.
Type: Tempo/Lactate Threshold
Workout: 29:20 (Lisa 32:30???)
Goal Pace: < 5:30 (Lisa <6:18)
Actual Pace: 5:41, 11:47(5:46), 17:35(6:07), 23:50(6:15), 29:20(5:30) AVG: 5:52
Lisa: 6:09, 12:27(6:18), 19:05(6:38), 26:10(7:05), 32:30(6:20) AVG: 6:30
TOD: 7:30am
Warm up: 1mi
Warm down: 2mi
Extra Work: Active Isolation Stretching Zones 1, 5
Total Miles: 8
Weekly Mileage: 31
Posted on
Wed, January 6, 2010
by Clayton Burnett