8 Mile (Not the Eminem Version)

AM: 1.5 mile w/u
Target: 8 mile tempo; 4 @6:40 then cut down
Actual: 25:55 (6:29 pace); 6:30, 6:19, 6:18, 6:14
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 11 miles
PM: 26 mins.
3.5 miles

Today was pretty much my last hard workout before MCM. Let's all pause for a moment to allow that to sink in and perhaps throw up a celebratory fist pump. Anyhow, I decided to do this out at the river, utilizing the road on Columns for the first five miles and finishing with the three-mile loop on the dirt. The air was cool, if a touch humid, and I was quite chilly in my racerback top for the first mile or so.

Once I got out onto Columns, I settled into a comfortable pace rather quickly. Unlike last Saturday's tempo, which involved fighting a substantial headwind, today there was only a light breeze to speak of. As a result, I felt quite comfortable throughout the first five miles, and my breathing was steady and even. That feeling was short-lived once I stepped back onto the dirt path, however, since I was simultaneously trying to pick up the pace and struggling to maintain traction on the loosely-packed dirt. Don't get me wrong, it's a great training surface, but it definitely felt slow when contrasted with the asphalt. That said, I was pleased with my strong finish (and even more pleased to be done with workouts!), so I was quite the happy camper on my wog back to the car.


View of Midtown skyline at sunset from Piedmont Park

This evening was my third night in a row for group runs, this time a Nightlife run at the Phidippides location in Midtown. I ended up falling in line with a few guys who work at the store and, as a result, the pace was a touch quicker than I was expecting or would've liked. We dialed it back a notch on the back half of the run, which felt much more comfortable. Afterwards I enjoyed samplings of pizza, cookies and pumpkin-flavored Hershey's kisses--that's right, I said pumpkin--and counted the run a success on account of the free dinner.