Magic Mile No. 2 … No one ever drowned in sweat …

Saturday – 4 miles

• 4.01 miles, 48’ 08” minutes, 12’ 00” min/mile average pace, 159 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
  • Mile 1 – 10’ 34” min/ mile
  • Mile 2 – 10’ 53” min/mile
  • Mile 3 – 14’ 21” min/mile
  • Mile 4 – 12’ 13” min/mile

Today definitely started out rushed. My sister and I were supposed to meet our other sister for breakfast at 9:30. So when I woke up at 7:30 this morning, I had a funny feeling that we were not going to make it to breakfast. In an attempt get my day rolling quickly, I skipped my usual breakfast, which was ok because I was out of granola anyway. I quickly changed into my running clothes, filled up my water bottle, ate a serving of Clif Shot Bloks (to compensate for my lack of breakfast) and was out the door by 8.

The morning was already shaping up to be warm one. By the time I had walked to my running trail, sweat was already starting to bead up on me. Now according to my phone, the temperature was only 80 degrees but the humidity was making it feel like it was at least 90 degrees. Last week’s weekend run was actually very bearable regardless of the heat because I spent most of the time in the shade. Of course, last week’s long run was about completing the distance and this week’s run was about speed. My goal for today’s was to improve my time from my last Magic Mile, which meant I needed an uninterrupted length of trail to run on. Unfortunately, the shaded sidewalk is littered with driveways and side streets, which prevents me from running as fast as I can. Once I made it to the running trail, I started running, trying to push myself as much as possible. After the first mile, I stopped to drink some water and catch my breath. Being in the direct sunlight was brutal and the sweat was really pouring off of me. I continued running after my brief pause and really tried to stay in the shade. It was a little difficult though to run in the shade during mile 2 because I was trying to get to a safe place to cross the street. Most of mile 3 and all of mile 4 was in the shade but the damage of the heat had already been done. I actually walked for a portion of mile 3, which was not what I wanted to do at all. When I finished my run, I was literally drenched with sweat and it wasn’t pretty let me tell you. I was also late for breakfast, which didn’t really matter since my sister was still asleep when I got home. None of that mattered though because I had successfully accomplished my goal for this run. My Magic Mile time was 4 seconds faster than my last one! While I was hoping for more of a difference, I will totally take 4 seconds!