Flying

I ran a short 8.4km tempo run today that included a 5km stretch of about 6:20 min/mile pace. Well, that was the plan. The distance is a bit weird because of the landmarks I use, but it’s enough for me to measure my pace on. The aim was to remind me how bad I’ll feel if I start Sunday’s race at too fast a pace (it’s a touch faster than my planned race pace) and to give the legs a bit of speed and effort.
My movement was feeling a little awkward, not heavy, but not fluid. After checking Google Earth it appears that I ran the 5km in 19:30, which means I was running at around 6:15 min/mile pace, but at an effort (or RPE) that felt comfortably uncomfortable. Crikey. I’m definitely ready, but unfortunately the weather looks like it’ll be very bad. Westerly winds of over 20mph are predicted with stronger gusts.
No matter, I’ve got at least 2 other half-marathons planned for the summer and even if I’m not peaking as effectively as this week I may still be faster.