This morning was my first group run with the Breakfast Club Runners. It was a very productive long run. I ran a total of 6 miles on the Plainfield Rail Trail.
I started off with my fast teammate for the marathon relay, along with two other runners. The pace was pretty brisk early on in the nice and cool weather. It was comfortably hard. I wanted to hang with them for awhile, even though I knew they'd be faster. I did so for about 2 miles before backing off the pace.
Actually it turns out that I picked up the pace in the third mile, but they were up ahead of me. The other two guys turned around early, to do 5 miles. My teammate and I kept going to do 6 (although I was far behind him). I was able to catch some of the slower runners in the group that turned around early.
I started to tire and my fourth mile was fairly slow. The last two miles I managed to get the pace back up. I finished with a fast 7:46 mile. Overall, the workout pace was 8:02. That's not much slower than my 5K race pace from a few weeks ago.
These group runs are what I really need to get back on track faster. You can only improve so much on your own. The only time I'd run with groups in the past was when I led group runs at City Sports. I was always the fastest then.
Eventually, this will be an easy run. For now, it was a great workout. My teammate is very fast and at the level I one day hope to be. It might takes years to get there, but I want to be that fast.
I'm happy where I'm at now and I'm really improving. The first time I ran this trail a few months ago, I only went a total of 2 miles and I even had to walk. I also picked up my Blue Eagle 5K medal today. Next year, when I run up front in that race, it'll mean a little more.
Even with the fast pace, my groin didn't act up at all. The only problem I did have was that I nearly cramped up. It's been a good week for me and I'm feeling strong and confident again. I can't wait to get back out there on Monday.
6 miles - 48:12 (8:02 pace)
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