Do Run Run Slow

The Anchorage Running Club held their first race in town last night. It was called the Do Run-Run. A 4 mile out-and-back race from Point Woronzof on the Coastal Trail. Despite the fact that I woke up and felt like someone had repeatedly beat me with a baseball bat throughout the night, and despite the fact that I took a sick day, I forced myself out the door at 5:30pm to run my first Anchorage race of the season. I couldn't miss it, I was just too excited to see how fast I could now run shorter distances.

Okay so I was sick, and maybe I'm not fully recovered from the half marathon, but I finished the 4 mile race and there it was staring at me in the face as I crossed the finish line. 40:00:00. Exactly 10 minute miles. Which has been my slow as molasses pace since as long as I can remember. Yes, now I can hold that pace for a long time, like over 2 hours, but I thought now that I could run 13 miles I would be faster at 4 miles.

Well that is just not how it works. In order to run faster, you have to well, run faster. My body knows the 10 minute mile pace. And since I have been training in the snow and not really keeping track of my pace all winter, I really have slowed down a bit. In the fall I was running close to 9 minute miles.

So it's pretty simple. In order to get faster, I need to train faster. I'm thinking about running a full marathon within the next year and I just don't want to be out there for 5 hours. So begins my speed training.