It played into my strengths as a runner because the uphill parts were very gradual and there was one huge downhill mile in the middle of the race.
My mile split times were:
7:31
7:36
7:14 (holy downhill, Batman)
7:40
7:51 (slowed down a bit, but this was the gradual uphill part)
7:51
7:20
By the middle of the race, I was pretty sure I was going to PR, but I didn't know by how much. My 5k split time was 23:21, which is also a PR.
I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty excited. One the one hand, this is a huge boost going into marathon training. In fact, that time qualifies me for a "preferred start" at the Madison Mini at the end of August. On the other hand, it makes me wonder exactly why I signed up to do a marathon because I think I like shorter races a lot more. I really like speed training, and I'm not super crazy about long runs...
Sometimes I feel like there's this message that you're not a "real runner" unless you run marathons, and I regret letting myself buy into that. However, I know I didn't sign up for the marathon just because I felt like I "should". I know I did it because- just like 99.9% of other runners- I want to qualify for Boston one day. I feel like my running is really improving, and I think that I could do it- probably not this training cycle- but maybe next spring??? Anyway, I'll have happy running dreams tonight.
As for the rest of the week:
Su- 5m easy
M- 6mi easy
T- Strength
W- 6mi easy
R- Strength, yoga
F- 4mi easy
S- Bellin!
