a pair of 10 mile training runs this weekend

this was the second weekend in a row that weather altered my racing plans. last week the snowstorm kept me from 2 races. one of them was rescheduled for this weekend, only to be postponed until new year's day. so instead of racing, i went out for a pair of training runs. the 10 milers were on a tough, gnarly loop of hills. it's probably the toughest 10 mile stretch of roads i've managed to string together for training purposes.

on saturday, with the temperature in the high 30's and snow stubbornly clinging to the stretch between mile 2.5 and 4, i managed a 1:20 (8:01 pace). compared to the 1:25:32 (8:33 pace) i slogged through last saturday (as penance for skipping the ted corbitt 15k which had been switched to a fun run because of the snowstorm), it was a decent improvement.

saturday (12/27):

7:58
7:50 15:48
8:22 24:10
8:12 32:22
7:51 40:13
7:59 48:12
8:07 56:19
8:16 1:04:35
8:06 1:12:41
7:29 1:20:10

8:01 pace

however, i was sure that effort would be improved in better conditions. i normally test my race fitness on that course. when i can consistently run it under 1:15 (7:30 pace), i consider myself marathon ready. on sunday, after briefly toying with the idea of heading to stamford for a 5k (but quashed that thought when i saw that race day registration was $25), i decided to run the 10 miler again. that it was almost 20 degrees warmer certainly helped.

sunday (12/28):

8:05
7:35 15:40
7:39 23:19
7:30 30:49
7:17 38:06
7:32 45:38
7:43 53:21
7:59 1:01:20
7:33 1:08:53
7:14 1:16:07

7:37 pace

this time around i improved my finish by 4 minutes. while i don't consider this a race ready time, i was incredibly satisfied with the performance. the snow that slowed me down by at least a minute on saturday had melted away. that easily accounted for a minute+ improvement. i also wore shorts for the first time in weeks, which was another boost (albeit probably just a mental one).

now, with running out of the way, can focus my attention on football this afternoon. and replenish those burnt calories with a few craft beers :D