The themes this week were speed, and cold!
First, the speed. I've been working on intervals for several weeks, so I thought it would be fun to try a classic New Year's Day 1 mile race - the Millennium Mile. This is a point to point downhill course, so it makes for a fast, fun ride! This is a very well run race, and I also relished the chance to run with my daughter who is herself a budding runner. I wasn't sure if I could break a 5:00 mile even in these fortunate circumstances - but I came close, finishing in 5:09 (net time). It felt like by the time I sorted my way through the field (after starting too far back), I saw a prominent 1/2 sign and another significant downhill slope. At that point without even glancing at my GPS watch I did consider the possibility of a sub 5:00 mile. I made a good effort at the end, passing a few guys that looked like they could be in my age group - and that was very fortunate because I placed second in the group!
On saturday I also ran a 10K time trial in the middle of a 12mi training run. I was hoping I could run the 10K interval at a steady 6:20/mi pace but ended up with 6:34/mi average and with pace variation. I just wasn't feeling it from an energy perspective, thinking more about rest than the challenge of the workout. The rolling hills on this course ultimately got the best of me.
Wednesday and thursday brought the first really cold weather of the winter, with 6 degrees F and then 3 degrees for these workouts. Oh yeah, and these were conducted in pitch black pre-dawn hours! Thank goodness for headlamps, reflective gear and hand warmers! Thanks even more so for great training partners and friends like Joe Loureiro!
41 miles total this week
Summary after 8 weeks of training for Boston:
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