REDEMPTION Tempo Run

Four weeks ago was my slowest 5K in over 10 years at the Hot Dash 5K in Minneapolis. I gave three possible reasons in that race report for it being so crappy: lack of speed work, just a "bad day," and/or Henry's tonsillectomy the day before wiping me out. I also could have noted a 4th reason of working out VERY little that week because my foot was sore.

Here were my half mile splits through 3 miles of that 5K:

2:50.04
2:51.67
2:58.44
3:06.20
3:03.69
3:05.80

17:56 through 3 miles (18:36 total for the 5K)

Well, on Friday, I took Charlie for a stroller run as I do most Friday mornings. We did 5 miles, but I did the middle 3 hard. (No other specific goal; I wasn't trying to keep them even, or descend, or anything like that. Just "hard.")

Here were my half mile splits in that 3 mile tempo run:

3:02.47
3:07.82
3:05.70
2:58.97
2:55.21
2:47.52

17:57! Pushing a stroller!

OK, I've ran faster with the stroller before, but I'm just happy to see that I could run essentially the same speed WITH a stroller and withOUT the push from an actual race. That really helped confirm that the 5K WAS just a bad day.

(Oh, and as a possible 5th issue: it could have been so bad because I started so fast as well. Sure, my absolute FASTEST races have been even or positive split, but those have been the races where I'm in top form, unlike the other 99.5% of my life. Generally, I prefer to start a BIT more easier, and then negative split - which I did NOT do at the 5K, but I DID do [naturally; without trying] on this stroller run with Charlie.)