Week 6, Day 2

Today would normally be a recovery day, but since I did that yesterday, today I did an "easy" day. The distinction is slight---"recovery" means I did something hard the day before (like a race or a speed workout or a long run) so I am just jogging, whereas "easy" means I am taking it easy and enjoying the run and not pushing, but I still should be going faster than on a "recovery" day. I guess

One little problem I am having now that I need to increase my paces (based on my race performance and, let's face it, what is beginning to seem like an overly ambitious goal) is that I am now using that GPS to tell me how far I've gone. And of course, it turns out that none of my runs is as long as I have previously considered them to be. I knew that, but I didn't realize how far off pace I would be for even these slower workouts.

So, yesterday I was just a tiny bit slower than I am supposed to be for a jog, and today I was a tiny bit slower than I should be for my "easy" pace. Today's pace would have been fine for a recovery jog, though.

Well, maybe it would have helped me to have some coffee first.

Got up just a tiny bit earlier and went out the door at 6:07. Did my "Mooney" loop, which is up Erie, turn at Mooney, back on Observatory to Erie. Since I was out a little earlier this morning, I missed seeing my "regulars." Saw a lot more people than usual, however. Is the cooler weather bringing more people out or does 15 minutes one way or the other really make a difference in how many people you see running on a weekday?

Did see Alison Delgado again. This time she was coming down Observatory when I was on my way back home. She just floats along, not like the rest of us plodders. Wonder what her form looked like before the accident. She stands up very straight.

Anyway, the GPS watch said it was just 4.1 miles (versus the 4.4 I have been considering it to be) and my time was 43:39, or 10:38 pace. Easy pace range is supposed to be 9:30 to 10:26, so I am a bit outside of that. But if I had considered it to be 4.4 miles, then it would have been 9:55 pace, right in there.

I don't think pushing myself harder on these recovery runs and easy runs is the way to go. I can only do what I can do. These are supposed to be easy efforts. So I am going to try not to stress about it too much. I know from past experience that my easy pace is generally a lot slower than other people who race at the same speed I do. So I am going to focus on trying to hit the right paces during the speed sessions, and get the mileage in on the long runs (maybe with a little more emphasis on a slightly faster speed than I'm used to), and I hope that will get the job done.

Oh, and I have to lose some weight.