Today's Run

I guess that is a misleading title, but this being the first post in my running blog I think it is somehow appropriate. I am a newbie but I definitely have the bug. I did a couch-to-5k program with my wife about 2 years ago. I've done a couple (2) more 5ks since then, a 15k, and the Disney marathon. Yes I am bragging. We did a 2-year couch-to-marathon program which consisted of floundering around at 5-10 miles a week then doing the Hal Higdon beginner program for Disney. It was brutal. Not the running (not that it was easy) but the time commitment. Our two year-old turned 3 just before the race and we have an 11 year-old with special needs. Running all those hours on top of full time jobs was insane. We did it though. I did 4:27 and she did 5:35. Scratch that off the bucket list.

So that brings us to now. I've been doing the Furman FIRST 5k program working on my speed. I am now a running nerd (I was already a band and computer nerd). For those of you not familiar with FIRST, it is a scientifically-designed ass kicking. Every run. Just 3 days a week, but ass kicking. Well, at least 2 of the 3. The long run is a welcome respite in comparison. The speed and tempo are brutal in a very exacting way. Those bastards at Furman know just how hard they can push you so you can finish the workouts but just barely.

So this leads me to my topic du jour: Today's run. 2 mi tempo at the "short" pace (5k + 20 sec). For me that's 7:48. At 8:00 I feel like I'm truckin'. 7:30 isn't last race pace. 7:48 in heat and humidity was uncomfortable. The heat is already getting brutal (and yes I have used the word "brutal" too much) here in Florida. I crossed the street a few times just to catch some shade. I had to push pretty hard the last quarter mike just to hit 7:55 for my second mile. My cooldown felt like a crawl.

Still...I can't wait for my next run!