With some decent weather, I finally was able to get out for my long run outside today. Temps were hovering right around freezing, but no real wind, and no precipitation, so no reason to hide indoors. With only a couple of months until the first race of the season, it's time to get some hours on the road, and a feel for terrain. I was up a bit too late last night, and lost an hour with the time change, so I knew I'd be dragging through the run. With 8 miles on the schedule, I was going to do a three-mile flat loop, and a five-mile hilly loop. The pacing for the day would be all aerobic, although I knew the hills may get to me a little.
The first loop went really smoothly. Everything felt nice and comfortable, nothing too strenuous, and moving faster than I really expected to. On the second loop, my pace was still really good on the flats and downhills, but the uphills hit me pretty hard. Those are unused muscles that need to be rebuilt. I maintained a 4-4 breathing pattern all the way through, and was pleasantly surprised to finish the 5 mile loop in 41:26, which isn't the fastest time I've ever done, but is well ahead of where I was this time last year. I probably gave away 20-30 seconds just on the few hills, so my legs are coming around nicely. If this is what I do when I'm dragging, then I'll put on a good show next time I'm fresh.
Run: 8.4 miles, 25:20/41:26
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