Gusts and Thrusts

(The gusts being the wind and the thrusts of me powering my body through it.)

So today's run was supposed to be the exact same as last Tuesday:

Mile 1 = 8:45
Mile 2 = 7:30
Mile 3 = 8:15
Mile 4 = 7:30
Mile 5 = 8:15

Some of my lessons learned from last week were to not stop, avoid wardrobe malfunctions and push it a little harder on mile 1, given that it is downhill. Also...set my Garmin so that I can see time for the specific lap I'm on and not just the instant average pace. This theoretically should help me pace myself better...

Here are my results with HR per mile:

Mile 1 = 7:09 (150 bpm)
Mile 2 = 7:26 (181 bpm)
Mile 3 = 7:50 (176 bpm)
Mile 4 = 7:33 (188 bpm)
Mile 5 = 8:30 (187 bpm)

TOTAL = 7:40 (176 bpm)

I have to admit the wind was really strong anytime I was heading South or West, which is basically half of my run. From what I remember, the particularly strong gusts were during mile 2, the 2nd half of mile 4 and the majority of mile 5.

Mile 1 - this felt lickety split, but it is downhill fgs and as my HR indicates, it was not a big struggle to go this fast. I don't know how I can do this run better other than to start from a different point. Hopefully the uphill on the last mile evens this out. I don't know.

Mile 2 was my first "fast" mile - supposed to be 7:30. I really focused on getting my pace right and did a better job this time. However, the wind was blowing in my face for the first part of this mile.

Mile 3 - I slowed down quite a bit and had the wind at my back...this felt fine.

Mile 4 - back in the fast lane again and right after I started this mile I turned directions and hit the wind again. I looked down at the halfway point of this mile and it was exactly 4:00. Damn! That is an 8:00 average and I wanted to hit 7:30, so I sped up...clearly enough to get in at a 7:33 mile. Phew.

Mile 5 - this was wonky...everything was into the wind and uphill. I did my best to NOT stop (running through stoplights, going around the block if I had to, etc.) and managed to do it pretty well. It was a tough tough 8:30 mile!

Overall I am pleased. I feel okay, not too worn out. Don't know if I could nail that pace for 13 straight miles, but for now this feels okay and I know that I don't need to run that fast during the race.