Notes
I have officially joined the 21st century and purchased a Garmin watch yesterday. Not sure what the hell I was waiting for but glad I broke down and bought one (with no consternation from the wife ....as far as I know). Wanted to log this entry quick before heading to the beach so I'll need to dicker with the upload later. Started at the Mid-town mall, left at the lights and then Hansons Ridge. The first 6 miles were around 9:45 and the pace got better along the way. Didn't sleep great and had the typical bbq/beer Saturday night with usual the suspects so the start was a little groggy but figured I would plod away, listening to podcasts for the first 6 mi anyway to keep the pace down. I switched to music on the way back (the turnaround spot was at the end of Hansons Ridge just before you hit the stop sign before 109) and the pace got significantly better. A few miles in the low 9s but some stronger miles too. Finished mile 8 @ 7:56 and mile @ 8:17 and my last mile was probably my fastest. This was mostly because I was trying to focus on form and mechanics during the down hills which quickened the pace between 7:15 and 7:30 for stretches at a time. The first 6 were completed in 59:33 and the last 6 were a much speedier 51:09. Felt really, really good on the back stretch and had some slower stretches up hill so pleased with the result and the fact I had some in the tank at the end and finish hard. I think the water hidden along the route was helpful to the result. Looking forward to the week ahead with a tough track workout and then my 17 miler.