8.5 Miles - Longest This Year

8.5 miles (1:22:27 - 9:42/mile)

total: 8.5 miles

44°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 3 mph
Humidity: 62%
course: Springbrook Prairie

Cold when I left, I wore my windbreaker. The wind needed breaking, and the effort to run was more than the pace represents. Throughout, I felt good. My calves and left hamstring felt tight, but warmed up well.

Ran the 5.5 mile course, turned back to the 4.0 marker, then returned to the 5.5 marker. My pace started at 9:16, then 9:02. At three miles, I had 28:05. At 5.5, 53:29. The final half mile, I ran a little hard, at around 8:00 mile pace.

Nothing intense, just building capillaries, base and a psychological comfort with longer distances. I have a 10-miler planned at the end of May that looks less intimidating than it did yesterday.

The plan was eight miles, and 8.5 seemed easy enough, so I finished it off. 909 calories, also good.

Rain all the previous few days laid strewn the corpses of worms, much like the last time I ran this course.

My calories were returned in eating chicken with Dad's Old-Fashioned Root Beer.