A too fast start...

For the remainder of this training program until the Toronto waterfront marathon, I'm going to make a point of hitting all my quality work. I've fit just about all the mileage, but I've missed a track session, and have not been doing the striders like I should. I was finding the ramping up in mileage was making me very tired on recovery days (typically that's with they throw in the 8x100).

But now I'm going to make a point of hitting them all. I have five track sessions, two 5x600s, 6x1000, 6x1200 and 3x1600. I have eight more sessions with striders. I have one more pace run of 14 miles but the week before that, I have a 30K (18.7 mile) race that i'll do at marathon pace. In a lot of ways, that run will be a key to this entire training cycle.

Today was my last lactate threshold run. I calculated that my pace should be around 6:57 miles or 4:19 kilometres.

All I can say about the first mile was WTF?! I knew I was going too fast but I couldn't really find my pace so I was a little worried to see I did it in 6:28. The next two miles, I was slowing, trying to feel a little more comfortable (funny, cause it's supposed to be comfortably hard). My worry at this point was that I went so fast that I'd burn out. Luckily, mile 4 at 7:02 was my slowest and I was able to do the last 3 miles in 6:54, 7:00 and 6:53.

So not encouraging that I couldn't find my pace but very encouraging that I didn't burn out. I hope I got enough of a training benefit from the run.

Been keeping up with the schedule: 15 miles on Wednesday and a day off yesterday. Tomorrow, it's 5 recovery miles followed by - gulp - a 22 miler on Sunday. I'm pretty sure i'll find the proper pace.

Race report: Nissan 10 Miler

DSC05243, originally uploaded by yumkerun.

Before this morning, I've run two 10 miler races, both were done last year. The first was the inaugural Nissan 10 miler which I did as a marathon pace run with an LT portion. I ended up doing it in 1:15:48 last year, well off what I'm capable of. Then last fall, I paced R. in for a 1:40 finish (we hit it pretty much right on the dot) at the Army 10 Miler in Washington DC, I believe it's the biggest 10 miler in the States.

Having run 21 miles on Saturday at a pretty decent 7:54 average pace, I felt pretty tired most of Saturday. I ate, rested, ate some more and rested. If you can call laying on the couch the afternoon before you race tapering, then I tapered very well. Reality is that 21 milers (34K) take a little bit out of you.

I was up at 4 a.m. for some pancakes (ever try the Eggo toaster variety) made into a peanut butter pancake sandwich.. yummy. Back to bed but was ready to leave my condo at around 6:55. I intended to jog to the race site, which is almost 3K away. It was starting to rain, only a little spitting, but I decided to catch the streetcar and ran a mile to the race site.

Fast forward to the start, and I'm lining up in the green Corral. They started the 5K and 10 Miler race together so it was congested with runners of all paces, including some slower ones who snuck in at the last minute. My goal was this: Run 4:30s (7:15 miles) for the first 5 miles, then pick it up to tempo pace, maybe around 4:20s (7 minute miles), for the last half.

With the start, I found myself having to weave around people, which led me to turn it up a little to get some room. I knew I was going faster than 4:30s and when we hit kilometre 1, I saw 4:25. It felt a little too easy, so I stepped it up a bit. Around the next few kilometres (2 in 4:19, 3 in 4:21) we were getting more room as the 5K runners turned around. I saw Fran and he was looking good.

I ran behind an old co-worker of mine (who blogs here) and he said he was suffering today. We chatted a bit, I told him I ran my long run yesterday and he said 'I'll see you at the finish by the massage table!' I said bye and got to work.

At this point, I really had no desire to slow down the pace. The next kilometres clicked by and by then, the runners around me were keeping a consistent pace

4K: 4:22 (7:02 mile pace)
5K: 4:25 (7:07 mile pace)
6K: 4:22 (7:01 mile pace)
7K: 4:25 (7:07 mile pace)

A few people surged ahead of me in the first four kilometres, but after that, I was never passed. A few people who did try to run ahead were clearly labouring as you could hear their breathing, loud and heavy. Mine was light and had not gone past LT. I decided then that the second half of the race could go like this. Try to maintain a fast pace and just past people who were naturally slowing down.

So I picked it up. I was tailing a few people and would use water stops (I took water/Gatorade at most of them) to break free and up my pace. The fun was really beginning and I felt I was racing. I hooked up with two other runners going at a good clip and spent about 3K running with them.

8K: 4:20 (6:59 mile pace)
9K: 4:20 (6:58 mile pace)
10K: 4:19 (6:57 mile pace)
11K: 4:20 (6:56 mile pace)

I was feeling really good. The two guys I was with were also in good condition. We were like a mini peloton, catching up to runners and passing them strongly.

When we hit the 11K mark, I decided to make my move. I felt good and I felt that even this LTish pace was manageable. I made my gamble and pushed it up. It's funny it only takes a little effort to move forward but I went from doing 4:20s to 4:22s to just a tad bit faster. There were people I wanted to catch up to. In my mind, this was now a 5K race. Three miles. A short LT session. I wasn't tired. My endurance has been built up by this marathon training and a few miles was nothing.

12K: 4:15 (6:50 mile pace)
13K: 4:14 (6:48 mile pace)

I had lots of ground to pick off runners. There were no big packs, just one or two runners so with the mental boost of just having 3 kiometres to go, I pictured that I had less than two miles. Two miles? That's nothing. A few V02 max intervals. I had entered a new zone -- target, surge, pass. I was targetting hundred metres ahead of me and beyond. They were slowing, I was speeding up.

14K 4:12 (6:46 mile pace)

I could sense that I could make major ground. It was time to push up to 10K pace. Why not, this race was almost over and I wasn't close to red lining it.

15K 4:08K (6:40 mile pace)

And so the final kilometre and in my head, that was just 2.5 laps of a track. This mental boost helps me break down the long distance into managable pieces. I passed a few more runners and tried to chase down two others. They stepped it up.

The last kilometre was done in a nice 3:58 (6:24 mile pace), followed by the last .1 miles done in 5:56 mile pace.

So my goal before this morning was about 1:12:30 given yesterday's long run but clearly I had more in me. Final time of 1:09:29. Very happy with the time and I felt that if paced better, I could have given more in the first 12 kilometres. This is a huge confidence booster. I know my LT pace should be in the 4:14 kilometre range and I think i'm getting there.

Chip time: 1:09:29
Pace: 4:19K/6:57 miles
Place overall: 118/1466 (91.9 percentile)
Place in men: 104/778 (86.6 percentile)
Place in age group: 21/123 (82.9 percentile)

Bring back the tempo runs

I dread these runs more than most, probably even more than pace runs. I missed the last 4 mile tempo run scheduled for a few weeks ago. I decided that since I ran a 5K race a few days before that, that I'd done quality work. The last time I had a tempo like run was when I did a 10K race a few weeks after the marathon. I didn't run it at my true 10K speed so it was a very effective LT run as a result. Actually, looking back, it was a tad faster than LT pace at times.

I also ran the 5 miler race last week at a fast pace so I could have used it as an out, but everything i've read about lactate threshold training says that you have to run it at a specific pace (15K to half marathon speed) so your body can benefit from the buildup to your threshold. By simply racing at faster distances, you get obvious benefits but not LT training benefits.

So I decided not to cop out. The schedule called for 9 miles with 4 at LT. I ran one warmup mile then launched into it. LT for me should be around 6:55 to 7 minute miles or around 4:18 to 4:20 kliometres.

Here are the mile splits
1. 8:23
2. 7:01
3. 7:04
4. 7:07
5. 6:57
6. 8:32
7. 7:56
8. 7:52
9. 7:38

A few seconds off but I think i've got the feel down for LT speed.

Not the optimal LT run

I'm exhausted. My alarm roused me from barely 5 hours sleep at 4:30 a.m. for my run this morning. I decided to do it in the morning figuring the weather would be better in the morning than after work, when it was expected to snow and rain.

So just after 5, I staggered out of my condo, with iPod loaded with podcasts. I had two options, a 12 miler at normal pace or a 12 miler with 7 miles at lactate threshold pace. I decided soon after the 2K mark that I'd try the LT run this morning.

The weather was cold but it was clear and I had nice stretches of road to run in. Looking back at my splits, I know that the combination of little sleep, the fact I did a run not only 10 hours ago and the fact that I was tuning in and out of a podcast that it wouldn't be the best LT run. I found myself zoning out throughout the run, thinking I'd hit the pace, but the next split would show me that I still hadn't upped the pace. I also realized at several points that my breathing was too easy, that I wasn't straining.

Oh well. My LT pace should have been around the 4:20 minute Ks or around 7 minute miles. Here are my mile splits

1. 6:51 (4:15Ks) - On a bit on the fast end
2. 7:33 (4:42Ks) - I really was zoned out for this one, I was running only slightly faster than marathon pace
3. 7:12 (4:28Ks) - a little better but not up to the effort I know I can give. I hit some icy patches
4. 7:18 (4:32Ks) - losing focus, trying to listen to podcast and also counting down the minutes
5. 7:09 (4:26Ks) - yay, a little faster, finding better rhythm
6. 7:11 (4:32Ks) - finally, two miles that are actually close. I keep the pace on knowing it's almost over
7. 7:08 (4:26Ks) - a decent final mile.

So not a consistent LT run. First one too fast. Second way too slow, the third and fourth trying to make up the effort and the final three close to the correct pace.

I may have to make up an LT run sometime in the next few weeks. For now, focus is getting my mileage in the next two days (17 miles) then rest for two days, then the big race!

Note I also ran 10K last night after work.

A tempo run by feel...

I'm in DC today, escaping Toronto just as another winter storm is set to dump up to 40 centimetres in the next 36 hours or so. Hope the March break crowd can get out of the city.

I tried for a very long time to catch a signal on my Garmin today. First, in R's balcony, then again out on the street. Then a third time about a kilometre into my run. I really wanted it to work because it was my 10 miler with 5 at LT.

My contingency plan was to run by feel. I would run at around a 4:20 pace and run for about 36 minutes to bring me in around 5 miles. I did two and a half loops of part of the Mall. It was a bit tricky cause I didn't know if I was running too fast. I timed each loop and the first and second were only four seconds off each other (not bad). At the end I did the 36 minutes flat. When I got back to R's place, I plotted the run on Gmaps and found that I did just over 5 miles (5.2 miles) in 36 minutes, which gave me a pace of about 4:17.5, which is actually about three seconds faster than the planned 4:20K pace. It also works out to 6:54 miles.

So after that I ran a bit more, then my freaking Garmin connects but goes wonky. After settling down, it captured a signal, so I reset it and finished my run.

Mileage:

Leg 1: 1.25K
Leg 2: 8.35K (5.2 miles at lactate threshold pace of 4:17)
Leg 3: 0.7K
Leg 4: 6.4K (Garmin finally worked for this bit)

Total: 16.7K or 10.4 miles

A spring-like day, seems like a good day for pain

My lord you can't argue with 21C weather in DC. The weather has been all over the place, from 0C to now.

I went out this morning with my revised schedule -- today was supposed to be a rest day, but with a day off for Family Day/President's Day, I put in my 8 mile run with 4 miles at lactate threshold pace. Other than the first warm day I've encountered since early October, I had to contend with a windy day, which made my loops of the Mall a little challenging.

I set out with one mile of warm up, then launched into the tempo run. Now, my last half marathon in September, in which I set my personal best, gave me a pace of 4:22 minute kilometres or about 7 minute miles. The splits shows I started at the right pace but with the combination of a first LT effort in months and the wind saw me up the pace over the last three miles.

Mile 1: 7:01 (4:21K pace)
Mile 2: 6:52 (4:16K pace)
Mile 3: 6:54 (4:17K pace)
Mile 4: 6:44 (4:11K pace)

I know it should be a pace I can sustain for a full 13 but it felt tough near the end. I really gutted it out. I guess looking back at the splits, I was going a lot faster than the 7 minute pace for the last mile.

A few things: Time to start hydrating. Also, I could see how a better running posture, which I'm trying to work on, has helped my running, especially into the wind.

Here are the splits and a map.

Last hard workout

Marine Corps Marathon is now 11 days away and today, I did my final V02 Max workout. It warmed up a bit today, enough so I could wear a singlet again. Today's run called for 8 miles with 3x1600, a tough run.

I warmed up by running up to the track, much of it is on a slight incline, so arrived with an elevated heart rate. The usual suspects (I can say that now having seen them every week) and running groups were gathering for their workouts so I went right to work. Four laps. The pace I set was 6:24 1,600 metres, or a 4 minute kilometre pace. It's a pace I've aimed at in my shorter repeats and in my past two races, there was every indication I can hold that type of pace. (The half marathon was done at 4:22 pace and the 10K was 4:09 pace).

Off I went, focusing on the middle two laps then bringing it home with a strong final kick. I was more or less hitting my splits. One thing that was a factor was that I was running at times on the third lane having to pass runners. I would say it cost me a second or two in some laps, but it's not an excuse.

I took two minute recovery jogs between sets.

1. 6:21 184 max heart rate (176 average)
2. 6:27 188 max heart rate (182 average)
3. 6:28 187 max heart rate (182 average)

So within four seconds on either side of goal pace of 6:24. I'm happy with the effort. It was tough but I was not dying at the end of each repeat, which means one day after the marathon, I will go for an all-out mile. That would be fun to pace.



I check the weather once a day. Today, another change. High of 12C and low of 5C. I think that's about perfect. It'll likely change in the coming days. Two more runs in the next four days, a 5 miler and a 12 miler . Wow, totally taper time.

LTs are finished...

I was dreading today, the last of the lactate threshold runs. The last one I did a few weeks ago during a race, 6 miles, was the best one I've done to date and the other ones (5 miles) were (4 miles) okay (4 miles), but not at the speed that I wanted them to be.

Pfitzinger says these runs should be done at 15K to half marathon pace, which is about 7 minute miles to 7:10. McMillan advises a tempo pace of between 6:57 miles ot 7:15 miles for a 3:20 marathon. (About 4:19 to 4:30Ks)

The last LT I did during the 15K race, the conditions were perfect. Not a lot of wind, coolish and it was a race, which means you get to pace off other runners. There weren't a lot of other runners around me, but I could spot people ahead and used them to pace myself. The LT splits back then was 7:10, 7:07, 7:02, 7:05, 6:58, 6:49. Race day magic.

Today was a 12 miler with 7 at LT, so I mapped out an out-and-back route on paths that have only one or two traffic lights. The route has a lot of long exposed stretches. Plan was to warm up with 2 miles, then do the LT run.

Weather was partly sunny, and a temperature of about 19C. But it was the wind that was worrying me. It was gusting up to 30km/h by the waterfront. At the 1 mile mark, I decided to begin the LT run while I had the guts to do it. The first four and a half miles were done running right into the wind so I increased the effort accordingly so I didn't start the LT at slower than pace.

The wind had one bonus -- it was a cooling wind. I felt the effort was good, and I looked down at the Garmin from time to time to see if the km pace was showing faster than 4:30 (It was). My fuel belt functioned quite well, but kept on shifting to the right. I took about one bottle of Gatorade during the run, which was difficult but the fuel was much needed.

At the turnaround, I had about 3 miles to go, and I could suddenly feel the difference. When you run with the wind at your back, you don't actually notice the wind blowing, but you are being pushed. Now I was facing two challenges -- I was running into the sun without a cooling wind, and the rushing wind at the start of the run was replaced with quiet. It's safe to say that the last part of the run was aided by the wind, but I also dug deep to keep the pace up. As it turns out, I dug a little too deep and went faster than pace... I'll take that.

The LT splits

1. 7:12 (into the wind) 162 bpm
2. 7:12 166 bpm
3. 7:06 170 bpm
4. 7:05 174 bpm
5. 6:59 (pushed home by the wind) 177 bpm
6. 6:48 179 bpm
7. 6:47 181 bpm

My heart rate maxed out at 183 in the last mile.

So what does this run tell me? I think the last few miles were run a bit faster than I should have, and they were wind aided, but I think the fact that I was speeding up shows I have a bit more in me than I think. I think one way to test this out is to attempt to run the half-marathon at the end of this month at a faster than usual pace. I usually target 4:30Ks/7:15 miles for about a 1:34/1:35 race, but I think it may be time to push the pace to 4:25Ks/7:05 miles or even a bit faster (4:20/7 miles). That'd be an interesting test. I've been dying to go sub 1:34 and it may be time to give it a go.

I have a 12 miler and a 20 miler to round off this week.

At the midpoint: Looking ahead

Did a 5 mile recovery this morning so it was a ho-hum run. It's been an exhausting schedule this summer. I did a total of 13 early morning runs so far this month (started earlier than 6 a.m.). Five of them I was out there between 4:30 and 4:54 a.m. and they were all 11 + miles.

At the end of this week, it'll be eight weeks to marathon day. The next two months will see me go through three 'mesocycles' under the Pfitzinger plan.

LT and Endurance: 1 more week
Next week is the last of the five-week endurance and lactate threshold cycle. It's also a big-mileage week with a 7 mile LT run (scary) at half marathon pace on Tuesday, followed by a 20 miler (mildly scary) on that Sunday. During this mesocycle, I will have conditioned my body to run for 3 hours plus and also, hopefully, improve my LT.

Race preparation: 4 weeks
September and early October will see the efforts step up in a huge way. I'll be averaging two to three 'hard' runs a week and all but one week will have me running more than 50 miles.

Hard runs: The schedule has me doing four V02 Max runs (two 5x600s, one 5x1000 and one 4x1200), two tune-up races, three 17 milers (one of which includes a 14 mile pace run) and a 20 miler. An oh yeah, those freaking mid-week medium longs (two 11 milers, a 12 miler and a 10 miler)

I have to make a few tweaks though. I have a half marathon in late September that I'm thinking of making an all-out effort instead of a pace run. But I should still do a pace run. I'm having trouble looking for race in mid-September and am thinking of doing a Terry Fox run or some track work.

One problem is that the week after my half marathon (Sept. 30), I have a weekend with a 4 mile recovery and a 20 miler planned. The mixup is that I have the Army 10 miler (Oct. 7). Part of me says I'll do the 10 miler as part of a long run but perhap that's a bad idea. So I may do the 20 miler on Oct. 6 followed by a really easy 10 miler recovery during the race. It'll be a truely non-effort (maybe i'll actually just enjoy the experience with R., who's also running it and has never run that distance before).

Taper and race: 3 weeks
Mileage goes down to 43, 32 and 22 in the last three weeks. I have a tuneup 10K race on Oct. 13 that will be a fitness indicator. Longest run is 15 miles , there are two V02s (5x600 and the whopping 3x1600). Then 26.2 miles. That starting line seems far, but close, if you know what I mean.

Race report: A Midsummer Night's Run 15K

Ah, the evening race. This is the second year they've done this race -- and there are two versions, the 15K and the 30K, which is perfect for those getting in their 20 milers. I thought about the 30K, but I have no desire to do half of a long run in the dark... big risk for injury.

I skipped my 11 mile with 6 miles at lactate threshold run earlier this week, moving it to today. So the plan was to do the first 5K (3 miles) at marathon pace, then the last 10K (6ish miles) at LT. I figured it'd be easier to run an LT in race conditions. I saw Fran at the race and we hung out, talking about our recent training. He was going to run an all-out race and use it to determine his marathon readiness.

The field of about 240 took off at 6:30 and I quickly found myself in the top 25, even though I was just going at a 4:45K/7:37 mile pace. So after the first 800 metres, I found myself running alone until the end of the race. At the one mile mark, one runner passed me but I didn't chase. Just stuck to the program.

The first 3 miles were easy (as they should be) and I was just getting into the rhythm, just working on form and stride. Funnily enough, as the 3 mile mark was approaching, the point at which I would step up the pace, I heard two runners coming up behind me. I took off, turning up a 7:10 first LT mile and never heard them behind me again.

The course goes through the Leslie Spit (good pictures here), a manmade spit that was used at some point to house rubble from construction. It is lonely, a little rocky at places. But it was fine for this race. After turning up the pace, I just started targetting runners ahead of me, and methodically turned up the pace so I'd come up behind them, run with them for a bit then let my LT pace dictate whether I would pass them or not.

Saw Fran at the turnaround, and he was about 800 metres ahead of me and looking strong! The rest of the race was pretty strong, just looking to maintain pace. Every time I saw the pace slipping, I poured it on. I also kept the pace until it became comfortably hard, or just a tad over that, when my breathing would synch up with my striding.

Here are my mile splits, the LT miles in bold

7:24
7:37 (right on marathon pace!)
7:37
7:10
7:07
7:02
7:05
6:58
6:49
6:22 pace (last .33 miles)

A few things I note about my pacing. I definitely had lots in the tank and the last two miles were super strong. In the last two miles, I spotted two runners in the distance, including the runner who passed me in the first mile. I made it my plan to catch up and pass them, so I stepped it out. A few spectators were nice to tell me my form looked good and I responded. The last mile, I started to visualize the 100m strides that I've been doing throughout this marathon training. Instead of sprinting, I ran fast, with fluid form, good posture and arm movement. It was without a doubt the strongest last few miles to any race I've ever done and I blasted through the finish line. Jelly surprised me in the last 300 metres as she was there at the final turn. I waved to her. Then as I was about 150 metres to the finish, Fran was walking toward me, already with his medal and a (to paraphrase Ryan) he rocked the course with a time of 1:03:34 and a 11th place finish.

IMG_3147, originally uploaded by Ron Foreman.

All in all, a great LT run and a strong 15K race, all more gratifying in knowing that I took it easier in the first third of the race. (Also, looks great on paper cause of the small field, but I came in 16th overall, 10th among all men and 5th in my age group. A lot of the speedsters were doing the 30K.

Final chip time: 1:06:52

Place overall: 16/240 (93.3 percentile)
Place in men: 10/85 (88.2 percentile)
Place in age group: 5/31(83.8 percentile)

The bad news? It only gets harder

More on the bad news later. The good news is of course that I survived my lactate threshold run today as prescribed by Pftizinger. My Garmin reminds me that I started the run at 4:54 a.m., an ungodly hour. I was so tired when my alarm went off at 3:45 a.m. (providing me with a few times to hit the snooze button). I really did not, and I mean did not, want to go out there. I decided to check the weather and saw that the current temperature was about 20 C, compared to a forecast 27C with rain for the evening.

Okay, I thought, I can deal with this pain to avoid future pain.

After a three mile warm up, I launched straight into the tempo run. I had a real hard time pumping up the pace in the early morning. The first three miles (7:19, 7:24, 7:20) are at the slower end of my LT pace. Whatever, it was still a face pace, close to my half marathon speed. After I hit the halfway mark, I felt a lot better -- I could feel the run coming to the end and I did a gut check. Did I have more gas? Yep. Could I step it up a little more? I think so. Which led to two strong final miles (7:05, 7:07).

I do understand that working my LT is great for my body as it gets used to the accumulation of lactic acid. But there's also a few things these runs are great for: learning to run a fast race pace by yourself (I tend to leave speed to the race-day magic), working on quick turnover, keeping my posture straight and, of all things, learning to breathe properly.

The LTs get harder. I have a 12 miler with 6 LT miles next week, then (like Fran) a 7 mile LT run. Scary.

LT run

Today it was 9 miles with 4 at lactate threshold (half marathon race pace). I still dread these runs and they'll only get harder. So the plan was to run 3.5 kilometres (about two miles) then do 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) at LT. These LTs are getting me nervous...

Here are the splits

1K: 5:03Ks
2K: 5:08Ks
3K: 5:01Ks
4K: 4:33Ks (7:20 mile pace)
5K: 4:23Ks (7:04 mile pace)
6K: 4:27Ks (7:10 mile pace)
7K: 4:26Ks (7:09 mile pace)
8K: 4:24Ks (7:05 mile pace)
9K: 4:30Ks (7:16 mile pace)
10K: 4:32Ks (7:17 mile pace)
11K: 5:58Ks
12K: 5:15Ks
13K: 5:18Ks
14K: 5:01Ks
15K: 5:05Ks pace

I actually did a little more than four miles. The first kilometre (5K) was a bit fast at 4:23 and I had to force myself to slow down a tad. As a result, I think I pushed myself a little harder than I wanted to. This would have to be a hard pace but one I can keep up over 13 miles. The last two kilometres were done a bit slower and I was flagging. Next time, I have to stick closer to the 4:30Ks or 7:15 miles... That is, unless my fitness shows that I can go faster.

LT run with a technical problem

Today was the first of many (and progressively more difficult) lactate threshold runs and I was pumped if not nervous. I didn't want to do it after work and saw the temperature would be okay early in the morning, so I was in bed early and up by 5 a.m.

I was aiming for a pace of 4:30K to 4:30K range (7:15 to 7:22 miles), which I've consistently done in races but rarely try out in training. Doing it with race-day magic is one thing, on my own at 5:30 a.m. is another... I went out there with a bottle of water and planned to ditch it when I started the LT run so I could have it when I finished.

At the 2 mile mark (3K), I took off best as I could into a half marathon race pace. It felt good and I was really focused on the next 4 miles (I split it up in my head into 6.5K, more managable for my head to compute.) Little did I remember that I hit Garmin at the beginning at the run intending to hit the lap -- I hit the start/stop key. Luckily, right at the 1K mark (I know the path very well), I realized my error and then started the GPS again.

In the end, I was able to maintain a quick pace, maybe even a little faster than I planned. First LT done.

Here are the splits:
5:09
5:17
5:15
4:35ish (7:22ish mile pace) The lost kilometre
4:37 (7:25 mile pace)
4:34 (7:21 mile pace)
4:28 (7:11 mile pace)
4:29 (7:13 mile pace)
4:28 (7:11 mile pace)
4:23 (.48K) (7:03 mile pace)
5:29
5:02
4:56

8 miles (13K)