And I was all set to be discouraged...

So, today's workout didn't quite go as planned.

It was fairly simple on paper- run easy 20,  then do 17:30 at lactate threshold, 20 easy, another 17:30 at LT and then a couple of miles easy.

the first interval didn't go very well.  First off, there may have been more hills- the elevation gain was a lot more than for the second.  Also, there were trucks barreling down on the path at 20 mph or so, which is the first time I've ever encountered that before.  I wonder whether they were consumers power checking on the new piping they installed though our lovey metropark.

But I digress.  After leaping out of the way of the trucks,  I found it a little difficult to find my stride and get back into the interval.  Also, I was carrying my hydration pack, which might also play a role in slowing me down.  I made sure to only pack about 30 odd ounces of water, but there's also the weight of the pack, and... well.  I'm just making up excuses.

The first interval was supposed to be at 7:20, and it started off okay.  But as I continued to try to push, things got harder and harder, and I glanced down at one point and saw my pace just about 8:00/mile.  My marathon pace.  Talk about discouraging- I was pushing hard, and feeling like I was getting only slower.  I finished off the interval at a 7:37 pace- 17 seconds per mile slower than I wanted, but not as bad as I feared.

I did the 20 minutes of recovery, and started the second interval just pushing hard, not watching my pace or anything.  After the first half I looked down to find my pace at 7:22, which felt *much* better.  I had a few moments of averaging a bit faster, but wound up finishing that interval at 7:22, which is essentially where I wanted to be.

Does make me wish I had remembered my heart rate monitor, though.  some objective data about how hard I was pushing would have made me feel better- I would have been able to blame hills or wind or whatever if my heart rate for both intervals was roughly the same.

Still, according to my records, I was running better in February. :(  I don't know if it's the heat or something else, but even on the slick surfaces we had earlier during the winter, I was running faster and doing better.  Oh well; perhaps the marathon will so go okay.  I hope so...