25 Min Run (Push)

HOLLYWOOD -- Went out to do some quick speed work after the long run on Saturday. Really just wanted to see if I could get the mile in @ 10 mph/6 mm. Did steps up from 8 to 8.5 to 9 to 9.5 to 10 with a minute each. That got to .68 miles by the time I got to 10. First mile was 6:58ish. Did the full six min mile, then stepped back a bit to 9, I think. Two miles was something around 13 or so. And I realized that if I could keep up the six min pace (which I couldn't) I could do a sub-20 5K. Pretty cool to see that if even from afar and on a treadmill.

Had some inkling in my mind to do 3 miles in under 20. But I was a bit worried about injury, considering my history with pushing too hard on treadmills (right heel) and a race coming up. Plus, I'd just done 14. A little speed bullcrap wasn't really that impressive.

So with 3 miles coming up in a half mile or so I knew that sub-20 wasn't in the cards. But then I realized that it would be close. And if that were close, then a sub-21 5k was a definite, legitimate possibility...if not a certainty if I could pull my head out of my tush.

So amped it up to around 9 ish, I think and took it in for a 20:45 (6:40 mm), then did full minute cool downs back to 7.5. Look at that time. That's really incredible. That's a full minute ahead of where my goal for this week was.

But this is a treadmill. And, for what it's worth, I believe I may have finally crossed the threshold from "treadmill is equal or harder than" road running to "treadmill is easier" than road running. I think this threshold exists around the 8.5 mph or 9 mph mark. Just a guess. Either way, that was a good run any way you look at it. Another solid workout in what has been a tremendous year of them.