8 Miles - 1:09:32

8 miles 1:09:32 (8:41/mile)
.5 mile wd

total: 8.5 miles

63°F
Clear
Wind: E at 5 mph
Humidity: 72%
course: Illinois Prairie Path, south

finish
64°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: E at 7 mph
Humidity: 63%

Nice run. The weather was good, albeit a tad humid, but cool. My first mile was 8:06, probably too fast, but it felt easy. My second dropped to 8:19, then #3 was 8:23. I finished four miles in 34:12. My pace for the second half was 8:49, though I missed the mile markers. I think the last two miles I clipped through at around 8:20. If true, miles 5-6 were chugging through at 9:00 or slower.

The southern route, at least as far as I went (to the four mile marker), has only Roosevelt and side streets to cross. Lots of marathon runners out for their long runs, including Jennifer from Plainfield, finishing up her 20-miler, and Bill from Lisle. Met them at the zero marker.

I have a lot to learn about pace. While I can't complain about the resulting time, mile-by-mile should have not have varied as much as it did. I dropped 2:35 from my previous 8-miler, but I have no doubt, could have dropped more if I had started with an 8:30 instead of 8:06.