Monday Treat

I treated myself to a nice, air conditioned, flat surface, ipod listening run at the HKC indoor track today. Andrew and I walked over there from our apartment. I ran a leisurely paced 3 miles (about 35 minutes of running) followed by a 400 meter cool down. Katie McKee showed up as I was starting my 7th lap (at the indoor track, 8 laps equals a mile) and we ran together for a few laps before she branched off onto her own workout.

After the 3 miles (which I ran straight, yay!), I debated whether I should stop there. I felt good, but I had already done a longer run yesterday morning at the park. However, I really wanted to see if my mile time had improved since the last time I timed it there. Besides, I figured I could always change my mind mid-run and slow it down if need be or walk.

I set my watch and started my last mile, this time pushing my pace a bit to see what kind of time I could get, particularly on the last 400m. It felt really good to stretch my legs out like that. And with the air conditioning, I actually felt cool and maybe even a little cold (a rare experience considering the Texas heat and humidity I've been facing all summer).

I finished the mile in 9 minutes and 37 seconds. I know this time is by no means outstanding, but I am proud of it. I mean hey, this was after having ran 3 miles. If nothing else, I can look at that and see how much I have improved. In the past I could not have ran 3 miles, much less an extra mile after that under ten minutes too.

I finished my workout with a 400m walk on the track before walking home with Andrew. Overall it was a successful run, but I look forward to getting back on the trails later this week.

In other news, it's my younger brother's 22nd birthday today, so Andrew and I are taking him to Texas Roadhouse. Happy birthday Kevin!

Note: July 14, 2008 was when I ran 3 separate miles and timed myself. My fastest time was my first mile at 10:58...definite improvement.