Saturday, March 31, 2007

How did that happen?

I just got back from a 20 mile run out on the roads. My overall pace was 9:49. Huh? I haven't run that fast on a long run in a very, very long time. If ever!

Just for fun, here are my splits. The times are a little erratic because I took a short walk break every 2 miles.

Mile 1: 9:54
Mile 2: 9:45
Mile 3: 10:05
Mile 4: 9:51
Mile 5: 9:54
Mile 6: 9:37
Mile 7: 10:15
Mile 8: 9:36
Mile 9: 10:32
Mile 10: 9:22
Mile 11: 10:55 (bathroom break)
Mile 12: 8:40
Mile 13: 10:58 (stopped to fill bottle)
Mile 14: 9:26
Mile 15: 9:40
Mile 16: 9:23
Mile 17: 10:15
Mile 18: 9:37
Mile 19: 9:38
Mile 20: 9:04

Funny how I just noticed my overall pace so far this year on my coolrunning log. Right now it's 11:11. That seems so slow to me and I figured doing all my long runs on the trails had really slowed me down. I guess I figured wrong. It feels good to know that I have a little bit of speed left. At least speed for me....its all relative. As for the run itself, it was fun being down in some of my old haunts. I even saw a few familiar faces. I love the trails, but this was a nice change. And definitely a good ego boost before Eugene. I can still run on the roads and not feel thrashed.

Tomorrow its back to the trails for a short 8-10 miles. I'm itching to try out one of my new trail shoes I bought last weekend. Which should it be? The continental divides or the flyrocs. Hmmmm.

12 comments:

Adelyn said...

Hey! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and giving such nice support :) Your blog looks great and I'll have to catch up on it at some point. It looks like you have some fun races planned :)

Congrats on having such a great 20 miler this weekend! I'm looking forward to getting to a point where I too can do one of those every weekend. Not quite there yet! And, by my standards, that's a very great pace for such a long distance!

Unknown said...

Great run, Sarah! I can't wait to see you at Eugene.

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Good job Sarah, and nice pace...Yes a nice confidence boost going into Eugene...all your hard work is paying off :-) way to go!

Ginger Breadman said...

I don't think doing all the runs on the trails has slowed you down - I think it's just fine-tuned all the smaller muscles that don't get used on the roads - all those little muscles that get torqued on all the roots and rocks. And you've had all that nice cushioning for your joints!

Joe said...

I agree with Gingerbread Man...all the trail running has strenghted the minor muscles, which allows the major muscles to process O2 better on the roads...less fatigue, more consistency. If your ITB didn't act up, all the better...you are stronger for the trail work.

Great prep for Eugene, indeed! A great run!!!

Journey to a Centum said...

Sarah - I had the same experience at Yakima and was very pleased to find that I have not lost my speed after 6 ultra trail runs in the last three months.

All your training is really paying off! Like Rob we are looking forward to seeing you again at Eugene! I have no idea what kind of pace I'm going to be able to manage after Capital Peak the day before but maybe we can run a bit of the marathon together.

Cheers!

Ryan said...

Many 20 milers that’s how!! Seeing is believing! Congratulations on a great pre-Eugene run. How did the test run go?

Olga said...

Wow, girl, you are seriously chaggin'! PCT will be just a breath, get ready for awards:)

psbowe said...

Sounds like you're well prepared for the race, wish you the best, I know you'll have a blast.

Stephanie said...

you sound very happy! great job on the road!

Rick Gaston said...

I started with marathons but I got out of them because of the constant injuries I was getting training on road. I still ran on the road but the majority was on trails. I noticed that all the trail running made me a faster runner, must be the hills, made me stronger. Couple years later when I returned to do a marathon I posted a faster time and I wasn't even running all out. I think trails mixed in with some speedwork can keep you fast or make you faster.

Darrell said...

You've built up some great stamina and strength on all those trail runs and then you go an fly through a 20 miler on the road. How cool is that? Eugene is going to be good.