Instead, I waited until we got home. Then I got my run in. I wanted a longer speedwork session anyway, so this was a better option than a 5k. I was unsure whether I wanted to do a tempo run or a fartlek. With the rain, I figured I'd get frustrated with my time if I tried a tempo run, so I opted for a fartlek. That way I could just run however I felt.
I looked at the weather before heading out. It was raining off and on all day. At times, it was heavy and other times it was light. The weather forecast said I had a couple hours window of clear. It was so wrong.
I wasn't taking any chances, so I brought my new rain jacket along. I've been putting off buying a running hat because I'm too cheap for a $22 hat. With such potential for rain, I had no choice this time. I went to Sports Authority and purchased a blue Nike one. It was funny because I walked into the store with a T-shirt on and my short running shorts on. I had to pull the T-shirt up a bit, otherwise it looked like I wasn't wearing any pants. I started the run in a light rain at the Plainfield Recreation Trail. I wanted a paved surface rather than a soggy stone path. Of course there still ended up being plenty of small stones in the path. I didn't know what to wear. It was raining quite a bit, so the jacket would be a big help to keep the rain off. At the same time, it wasn't that cool so I knew the jacket would make me too hot. It's always a tough choice when it rains on a warm day. I knew that whatever decision I made, I'd likely regret it. I was correct.
As I was prepping for the run at my car a guy and woman started walking. I was puzzled that over a half mile into the run and I had not caught them. They weren't that far ahead. I then made it to the woman and saw that they were both running. That made more sense. The guy was quite far ahead. I was going to ask the woman his pace, but decided not to.
I figured that I would catch up to him soon enough. I was correct. He wasn't going very fast. My warmup felt easy, but I guess he pulled me along because it was quite fast. I blew right by him as my warmup ended and the speedy segment began.
I started off with some fairly fast running. It was good to get the legs churning and I was feeling great. The only problem was that the jacket was too hot. I took it off, crumbled it up and held it in my hand. I thought about stashing it somewhere during the run and picking it up later. Instead, I just ran with it.
After some quick running, I needed to slow it down a little. I went with a longer half mile fast segment. Of course it was quick, but not as blazing as my earlier shorter segments. The pace was still under 7 minutes per mile, but most of the shorter stuff was done at under a 6 minute pace.
I turned around just past halfway. At some point while running fast on the way back, I came across a deer on the trail. I yelled at a rabbit for fun and didn't even see the deer up ahead on the path. He sprinted along the path and then back into the woods. I am always seeing deer.
On the short fast segments on the way back, I turned it up again. At this point, my legs were feeling very fatigued. I just kept battling. I ran a blazing 5:26 pace for .15 miles and then the next one was a slower 5:54 for .20 miles.After killing myself with these two tough segments, I needed a longer and slower recovery type of fast segment again. I did another half mile one at just under a 7 minute pace. It was still fast and tough, just not as difficult as running at the other speed. My legs were really gone at this point though.
After a nice recovery, I had time for just one more short fast segment. I pushed about as hard as I could. I was way out of my comfort zone. It was only a tenth of a mile. I knew if I just battled, I'd do alright. It would be over before I knew it. I ran that one at a 5:22 pace. That was my fastest segment of the whole run.
The speed portion of this workout was great. It got me going much faster than I'm accustomed too. I was certainly out of my comfort zone. I should get much stronger from this and be able to handle longer and slower paces. It was a great challenge.
I was hoping to come across the two runners again, but I never did. I encountered another guy running as I was coming back. It was good to see a few others as crazy as me. I got completely soaked in this run. Doing my long fast segment towards the end was tough because the sky really opened up. It was an absolute downpour. I just worked through it. Again, I couldn't help but think of the Adidas "Runners. Yeah, we're different." campaign from years ago. Who else would be dedicated enough to be out in this rain.
The cooldown mile was nice. I put my jacket back on and began to sweat some more. I wanted to stay dry or not get chilled as I ran slower. My Garmin had some issues. It is too sensitive in the rain. It worked better than it has at other times though. I finished up right around where I had started. It was almost dry conditions. I was shocked at how beat I was when I the run was complete. I worked harder than I thought I had done. My body definitely felt it.
I was so glad to put in such a good workout. Now, I need some recovery. That's what tomorrow will bring. Apparently it is supposed to rain. I have to work in the run any time that it clears up. I also have to get to the hospital to have some bloodwork done. I have no idea when or where I'll actually be running. It just has to be an easy 6 or 7 miles. Wednesday is my mile repeat day. I need to see how I recover from today's workout. Since I ran later in the day today, getting back into top form by Wednesday morning could be tough. I might have to cut that run back a little more than I would like to. It should be a good week no matter what I do.
7 miles - 54:29 (7:47 pace)
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