OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up @ 8:30-9:40
1x3K @ 6:52, 2 minute active recovery
1x2K @ 6:32, 2 minute active recovery
1x1K @ 6:18, 2 minute active recovery
1x800m @ 6:05
1 mi. cool-down @ 8:30-9:40

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1 mi. WU
3K @ 6:37 (way too fast!)
2K @ 6:32
1K @ 6:20
800m @ 6:29 (way too slow!)
1.39 mi. CD

total time = 55:51
total distance = 7.04 mi.

5:54 AM 65° 95% 3 mph

Well, this was my first attempt at some speed since January 26; 42 days ago. I was apprehensive going in. I wasn't sure my leg would hold up and I wasn't sure I really wanted to know how much I have lost. Well, the good news is that aside from some tightness (mostly hamstring) my leg held up fine. This is a really good sign.

The not-so-good but not-necessarily-bad news is that while I have lost fitness during my injury downtime, I don't think it's as much as I thought it might be.

I broke out of the gate way to fast on the first interval. I think I was just happy to be moving with little limitation again. I couldn't slow myself down. All the while, I was reminding myself it's not how you start these workouts, it's how you finish. The line built into the paces is very fine and if you go too fast too early in the workout, I've found I'm almost guaranteed trouble on the back end. That's how it played out too.

By the time I was on my last interval, I was sucking wind and didn't have any extra giddy up to push myself faster. On the one hand this could be disappointing because it's evidence of what I've lost during February. But it's not quite as much as I thought it might be. I held up okay during the first, second and third intervals. In addition, the pace times I'm using are based off of my January 5K PR time. I guess I'm convincing myself that I'm not really that far from where I was. If I had started slower today, I would have been able to finish stronger. Maybe not hit my targeted pace but closer than I did.

I've got work to do but there is more than a glimmer of hope!

PRE RUN
water & a nibble of granola

POST RUN
SlimFast