Garmin: I Did's It

Today was my first 2-runs-in-one-day runs. If that made any sense. I'm off the clock so I don't have to make sense, really.

I digress.


So this morning I decided to do a maintenance run for 40 minutes. I wanted to get a good workout in, but not be completely shot for work. I'd really, really like to keep my job, thanks. So I set out at what I thought was a good pace. Not too slow, but not speedy either. Well, at least it felt that way. When I checked Joanie Garmin about a half mile into the run, I discovered, much to my dismay, that I was running about a 10:45 minute mile. Or at least, that's what Joanie Garmin said. I decided that I was not going to let this push me too hard this morning. So I kept on trying to "feel" the pace as best I could. Eventually, the pace per mile dropped to 10:10, which sounds more like normal to me. One new thing that I tried on my morning run was to head North on the path instead of my usual Southern route. It was a good choice because the lights were on and the path was quiet. It was beautiful, really. Interestingly enough, I saw the CBS news van on my way out, on Irving Park, just West of Broadway, and on my way back! Why they were filming at 5 AM, I do not know.

This evening I had speed work on the schedule. 5 half mile repeats at my 5K pace with a half mile to recover in between. Because I didn't want to spend my entire evening on the path, I shortened the recovery to a quarter mile. In an effort to not short-change my workout, I decided to make another stab at figuring out how to set Ms. Garmin. I also decided not to bring along Le Petit iPod so I could actually hear when Joanie Garmin beeps.

Success! I had a great workout! My 5K paces weren't very consistent, but they were fast and they got faster. The first half-mile was done at a 9:16 pace, which consistently dropped until the last repeat, which came in at 8:57. My recovery quarter miles all came in around a 10:30 pace.

8:57 may or may not be the fasted I've been able to run. I know, it was only a half mile, but I'll take it where I can get it.

The only downside to this evening's workout was the wind. Big surprise, right? It kept coming in strong, quick bursts. I was afraid that it was going to negatively affect my run. I was able to hold up after all. My hair, however, did not...