Day 5: Legs, you are lucky you decided to be quick today!!

So.  Effing.  Tired.  Seriously.  I need to learn to go to bed earlier on Monday night so the whole rest of my week isn't spent playing "catch up."  Grr.  When the alarm went off this morning at 4:30 am, I told Taylor I was going to sleep until he left for work (usually 5:15-5:20 when I'm heading out also to run).  Since I had SO MUCH TIME after my run yesterday, I figured I had 45 min. to spare.  Oh glorious 45 minutes.  You were amazing.  When I finally got up, I was grumbling that I did not want to go run.  Sweet sweet loverboy said, "It'll be nice and cool after work...why don't you just go back to bed and run later?"  Mmmm....blissful idea my love.  Guarenteed though, if I decided to do that, I would spend the next 2 hours tossing and turning, and then it'd magically be 90 degrees with 90% humidity at 5pm.  PLUS, it's only Day 5.  I can't quit on day 5.  I just need to pretend that running later is NOT an option until this morning crap becomes habit.  Because very very soon, running later in the day won't be an option.

Speaking of, I'm not sure HOW it's still cool.  It's June.  Usually I'm sweating my booty off.  This morning, I was cold.  Brr.  I haven't worn shorts on a run since.... umm.... pre-morning running?  It's summer for goodness sakes.

Blabber blabber blabber, on with the run.  I had a 40 minute tempo run to do.  Started off shivering and took the first mile eeeeeeeasy at 9:45.  Stopped to stretch out my sleeping muscles.  

My tempo miles I wanted to run 8:20-8:30 mm, giving myself a lil leeway because of the headwind for the first tempo mile.  First tempo run mile 8:41.  Lame.  I swear every time I looked at my Garmin it said 8:00 pace.  Apparently that wasn't the case.

Tempo mile #2 8:19, technically a fail, but average the two together and boom, 8:30, perfection.  :)  I decided if I could do mile 3 under 8:30 I could use the last 1/2 mile-ish for a cool down instead of continued tempo.  That's the motivation the leggos needed 7:56.

I finished the .55 cool down in 4:56 for a pace of 9:02.  Overall warm up/cool down pace was 9:31.  Average pace for tempo miles (3) was 8:18.

During my cool down, I was doing some reflection as to why my splits were so off.  I think it might have something to do with my warm up.  I try to start off slow to actually warm up my legs, but I think it's hard for my legs to gauge the difference from 9:45-10 mm to 8:20-8:30.  After that first tempo mile, I always seem to hit at my pace or even below it, I always just struggle with that first one.  Hopefully I'll remember this gem of insight on my next tempo.  :)

Softball tonight and saying good bye to Tay as he leaves for Chi-town insanely early tomorrow morning for his bro's bachelor party.  Jealous.  Not of the bach party, but I love me some Chi-town.  :D

Ooooh.....stay tuned for an upcoming race announcement....EEEEEEE!