I had a game plan of running a conservative race, basically trying not to agitate my achilles tendon. I haven't done any speed for 3 weeks because of it, so I wasnt' expecting anything too fantastic.
I started out kind of slow holding back for the first mile. I did the first mile in something like 5:33. It felt natural, I wasn't winded like I was expecting to feel. My achilles wasn't showing any signs of pain, so I did what felt natural.
I kept the same pace throughout the race, averaging 5:31 per mile. I never pushed it and towards the end I sprinted home to pass two runners that seemed just about dead to me. I finished feeling strong and injury free. I didn't even really pay attention to the time during the run, which was nice for a change. Or coarse when I realized that I ran a 34:22 and that my current PR is 33:55 I was wishing I had pushed it a little.
When I got home I was feeling good and not wanting to be sore the next day, I decided to get that lactec acid out of my system and ran an additonal 7 miles at about an 8 minute mile pace.
I guess the real test is to see how I feel tomorrow, but I think it's time to start putting speed back into my workout. | 