Relearning Speed

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 7:50
Location: Powhatan Out-and-Back

*Note - This run occurred Monday, June 27th.

I took the weekend off, for good reason. Saturday we attended my cousin's graduation party and Sunday my grandma's birthday party. On top of all this, we got the keys to our new house on Friday and had to start planning for our move-in. We need to be out of our rental home by Saturday, so it is going to be a hectic and non-stop week. I think my biggest challenge is going to be finding the time and drive to keep running during this madness. And Monday got off to a crazy start. We had to meet a painter and a floor guy and make several trips to Lowe's to buy tools and materials. It's all very exciting, despite the frenzy of it all.

Finally, evening came and I found time to get a quick mile in. I hadn't run just a single mile in quite some time. In fact, the last time was May 27th, exactly 1 month ago! On that day I ran my standard Powhatan Route in 7:55. I was curious, after a month of 3 mile runs, what my mile time tonight would be. What I noticed as soon as I started running was how different it felt to run "fast." Different muscles are used and even the way one gets tired is different. Running fast the fatigue sets in like a psychological dread rather than a physiological exhaustion that sets in during a distance run. I knew that my body wasn't going to be able to keep up the fast pace, so I had to fight the urge to slow down. I was running on my toes, which I hadn't done in a while, and my legs were not handling it well. My breathing also was a struggle. All around I didn't feel it was a good performance. However, when I finished I glanced at my watch and saw a 7:50! I actually ran a faster mile than I'd run all year! In fact, my time tonight of 7:50 ties my 2010 PR which I ran on August 13th last year. The mile has been my trickiest distance so far. It's been hard to make large strides in it. Just getting under 8:00 has been good for me lately. But tonight's run, with its sore legs and heavy breathing, I think proved that I'm gaining ground. Once I feel better, I'm sure I can finally start chipping away at my mile time in a significant way.