Leashed! (7 mi w/10 x 100m strides, LR pace)

Well, that was nutty.

My typical run along the Embarcadero is about 7 miles, so this should have been fairly normal for me. Normal, except that all the training guides suggest you should have easy days and hard days, and a balance between the two.



Normally, I just go out hard every time, as hard as I more or less feel like. Typically, I run that route at a pace of 7:30 per mile. When I try to slow down, I run it at 7:35 per mile. I just can't help myself: it is how I feel like running.

This is the route, at least until daylight savings time (Fisherman's Grotto at one end, PhoneCompanyDuJour Park at the other):



Pacing.

That's what this heart rate monitor is for: keeping me from running hard on the days I'm not supposed to. Like yesterday. So I have this watch that's beeping at me anytime I go over 156 bpm, essentially telling me to slow down.

My fellow K-Star, Mike, described it as a leash. He was right. Yesterday, I ran this route at 8:13.

It felt soooo slow. This will take some getting used to. Thursday's run is supposed to be at this same pace, but longer. Saturday's run: 12 miles, same range.


I almost forgot: 100 meter "strides". After the slow run, I got to light it out a bit. Felt good to burn off that impulse to go fast that way.