5K Progress

Today was about trying to maintain a pace.  The goal was to keep close to a 7 minute per mile pace.  The interval was 1K.  I warmed up for a mile and then hit the top of my steepest climb as hard and fast as I could for a few minutes to get the blood flowing.  I walked for a couple of minutes before beginning my first 1K interval, gradual, fairly mild downhill, upon which I kept a 7 minute per mile pace. First of all, I practiced not going out too fast or too hard, but maintaining the pace the whole way.  I walked a few minutes before doing the next 1K up the same hill, this time holding about an 8 minute pace, again keeping the pace the whole time.  My breathing on each of these was about every 3rd step, which should correspond to a hard tempo effort. I took another minute and a half before doing the next 1K, which was downhill, this one steeper, so I let my pace settle in at around 6:30 pace, allowing my breathing to be every 3rd step, but really trying to relax with the breathing and accepting the effort.  That's the challenge, going hard, but embracing the difficulty of the effort.  When I reached the 1K mark, instead of stopping, I kept running fast, not quite as hard, but fast, for another three minutes right around 7 minute pace.  This segment has a very mild downhill, so in some ways, it was almost a fourth interval of about 700m without any rest in between them.  I walked a couple of more minutes before attacking my 150m hill segment that I did my hill repeats on the other day.  I couldn't maintain the same 6:20 pace after the previous four intervals, but was happy to keep a 7:20 pace, on tired legs, again relaxing at the top so as not to slow down.  I'm really working on my brain function and how to embrace the discomfort of going fast.

In three days, I have my next 5K.  It's flat, and I've already set my goal and plan.  I'll start out at 7:15 pace for about half a mile, and then let go of the pace and just go hard.  I'll only keep distance on my watch at that point, and focus on my effort.  It will be interesting!