4.0 mile run

Ran my 4-mile loop tonight. Weather was gorgeous and perfect: 69 degrees, no wind, blue sky. Wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts and sunglasses. Had to start just a bit too fast because of traffic, and I left the house without any specific goal in mind, but within the first couple of minutes I decided I would aim for negative splits. In other words, I would aim for each segment (in this case, each mile) to be slightly faster than the previous one. In particular I wanted to have a really great time for the very last mile. I don't like having really slow times on the last mile.

First mile, I had to force myself to slow down, which might not be good because it's the one that's mostly downhill. My right foot was bothering me (plantar fasciitis) but it soon warmed up after I focused on my pronation. I hit the mile mark in around 10:10. So far so good.

Second mile had the steepest uphill section, and also featured clouds of gnats lurking in the darkness under the trees. I caught a mouthful of them, but I'm no frog. I spit them out. I hit the 2 mile mark in 10:16 or so. Not as good. I aimed to try harder for the rest of the loop.

Third mile was mildly downhill in the first half and nearly flat for the rest of the way. I was huffing and puffing and pushing myself, but I tried to breathe easy (I tend to restrict my breathing, so I've been trying to relax and let the air flow in and out more naturally) and think about my running form. I did have to stop briefly (less than 5 seconds) for traffic. I reached the water fountain which is the finish line in 9:45. Excellent! I did stop for water but didn't take note of how long. I estimate only 10-15 seconds.

Fourth mile... should have been my strongest, but I walked at least three times, cursing myself each time. This section includes having to cross SE Tacoma Street which is a busy street but that could not have added more than a few seconds to my time. Once past Tacoma I pushed hard, and within two blocks I broke into a full run, which prompted a little girl to say to her mom "he's running!" and must have looked funny, but I hit the finish line at 9:54. Considering the stop for water and the several times I walked, I honestly expected to have done worse, and am pleased with my time.

My second half, including the walking and stops for water and traffic, averaged about 9:50, about 23 seconds faster per mile than my first half. I think that was a good training run, and it will set up my speedwork on Thursday quite nicely.