Today was good. I have no idea how fast or slow I was other than to say that the first three miles took about 36 minutes.
The "red team" coach for Philly Fit sent out a note this week saying that he'd meet people a half hour before the scheduled start today in case anybody wanted to beat the heat (weather was expected to be in the 90s with high humidity) and run early or if folks just felt like they needed a little more time to cover the distance. I wasn't sure if I was going to take him up on the offer but since I was awake and ready to go for the early start I went for it and I'm glad I did.
Only one other red group member showed for the early start so we had kind of a private session with the coach. He started us out with a 4 minutes running with a 1 minute walk break and eventually built that up to about 7 or 8 minutes of running with 1 minute walk breaks. It was great -- I never felt winded or stressed for even one second of the run. I'm sure that I could have run faster than the pace he set but if I did I don't think I'd feel nearly as good as I did when the run was over. The other runner, was struggling to keep up with us and walked a lot more than just during the official walk breaks. That gave me a confidence boost to see that I wasn't the slowest kid on the block! We kept up a pretty good pace for the first set but slowed some on the return because we didn't want to lose the other new runner. She developed a blister and that added to her less than perfect cardio situation it took a little bit longer. I don't think I sacrificed much by going slow -- especially in the heat -- but I think it was good for us to encourage her as she struggled and not just leave her in the dust.
We did the run on a gravel paved trail that runs along a creek and it's almost entirely shaded which was very nice and made today a lot more bearable than usual. I walk on this path a lot and it was interesting to do it as a runner instead. The time went by a whole lot faster than it usually does, for sure.
I made a point of starting my watch when we set out but I was a dope and didn't turn it off when we stopped! I know I finished a couple of minutes ahead of the other runner and we did a great set of stretches that took at least 10 minutes. By the time we headed back to the car my watch said 1:37. So....I'd guess the six went by in 1:25 or so.
The coach said he'd be available for this early group run every week and I think that for now I am going to stick with him. I am a little bit afraid that it was too easy but I think at this stage of my running career easy is good.
In other news....The new shoes worked out great! I love them! I need to get something other than my current water bottle carrier to run with. It's bounce-o-rama with that thing. I can't decide if I should get an amphipod thing or a fuel belt. I think I'd probably like the amphipod better but I might opt for the one that carries more fluid.
There was a picnic after the run which was nice. I met a person who has done the 3-Day before and somebody else who actually did Bermuda! Shocking!
Tomorrow the 3-Day schedule says I need to do 4 miles. I think I'll do at least 5 and maybe some more but probably not too much more because I want to run on Monday.
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