I wasn’t feeling like running, but I knew I was going to run anyway. I sucked down 8 ounces of Red Bull and did 50 jumping jacks to get warmed up and in the mood. It certainly warmed me up. I strapped on my heart rate monitor, filled my water bottles, and headed outside. It was stunning outside today, complete paradise.
I started off feeling pretty strong, but found myself walking here and there for no apparent reason. I still managed to hit the 5k mark around 34 minutes, which isn’t terrible. The whole way there I kept telling myself that I only had to run the first 5k, then I could walk back home, because I am still a little sick. When I got to the 5k mark, I hit pause for 3 or 4 minutes to stand in the shade, shake my legs out, and eat a vanilla bean Gu.
That must have been the ticket, because the road back home wasn’t bad. I did end up walking the last section of the massive hill climb, but I was still happy with my performance. I think I can do this route again without the stop in the middle and I’ll be able to set a PR for the 10k distance. Of course, I keep thinking I’ll be able to set a PR for the first 5k, but it hasn’t happened yet.