I took off and felt comfortable yet a bit sluggish running my warm up mile which I ran in 8:20 pace. With how my warm up felt I decided to run my first mile of the tempo by feel rather than watching my pace on my Garmin. I was afraid I was going to struggle and didn't want to force 7:35-7:40 pace for the first couple miles and burn out at the end. I was shocked when my watch beeped for the first mile and I had run it in 7:29. In my head I figured I was just excited to get the first fast mile in and I would slow down. I didn't want to get frustrated that my pace was slowing so I made sure not to check my watch for pace, running based on feel. The next mile was 7:22. I was feeling great at that pace and was so glad I hadn't paid attention to my pace those first 2 miles because I would have forced myself to slow down. I couldn't believe how great I felt. I was definitely pushing the pace but I felt comfortable. Knowing my goal for the half marathon on November 22nd is to break 1:40 which is around 7:35 pace, I was getting really excited at the pace I was running. Miles 3 and 4 were 7:22 and 7:23 so I was maintaining the pace! I ate my Gu when I hit mile 5 of my run/mile 4 of my tempo. Typical for long runs, once I ate my Gu I was able to speed up. The next mile was 7:20 and my goal for my last 3 miles was to be under 7:20 pace. I did that easily with miles 6, 7, and 8 at 7:10, 7:09, and 6:59.
I was so pumped my last 3 miles were faster than what I had been running for a 5k just 2 months ago. My average pace for the Little Balkan's 5k at the beginning of September had been 7:10 per mile. It's not easy getting back into shape postpartum, but it sure is rewarding! When I first started back running after Elise was born I knew a little bit better what to expect as far as how long it would take me to get my running form back since I'd experienced it after Carter was born. Still it seemed like it would be forever until I was back running the times I wanted to be running! Sometimes it is hard to be patient, but it sure pays off! These last few months as I've finally started to get back down to my pre-pregnancy paces and times it has been extremely motivating to get faster each time I race or go out for a long run. I'm proud of the work I put in both during my pregnancy and afterward to get to this point. I'm pumped about my last couple races and long runs and I'm ready to rock the half-marathon in 2 weeks!
And she is so worth it! |
Go, Momma!
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