Today Stacy and I ran the first race of the summer series put on by the Arizona Road Racers. We did the series last year and while it was hot and sometimes miserable, it was still fun. Plus, they have the best race shirts and the price is insanely cheap for five races. This race was at Papago Park and it was a GORGEOUS morning. After weeks of high 90s and up to 108*, we had a 66* morning with a cool breeze. I was feeling a bit discouraged because my running lately has been pretty sucky so I wasn't really looking forward to actually running.
But, the race went pretty well. My shins were a bit stiff and tight but didn't hurt or make my ankles tight. The last mile was tough because I was running faster than my cardiovascular fitness was ready for! Also, they did a staggered start where each age group started 30 seconds apart with the slowest ones going first. So from about the 1 mile mark to the end, I was constantly being passed by the faster people. It was actually quite demoralizing, especially when I was really struggling mentally and physically toward the end.
According to my GPS, I ran 3.13 miles at a 9:47 min/mile pace. Here's the breakdown:
Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 9:43
Mile 3: 9:38 + .13: 9:17
I was very surprised because my legs felt like I was going much slower than that, especially the first mile. (I thought I probably was running around 10:40 that first mile.) Looks like I need to average just under 9:40/mile to break that 30 min mark. I'm not sure it's in the cards the rest of the season with the heat but we'll see! Stacy killed it - finished in 26 something. She's awesome!
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