5k in 27:40

Held a firm 8 mn/mi for 2 ks before needing a 5 min refresher. I picked the pace right up again, hoding it for the duration of the run. Ending with a 8’51″/mi average. No 7s this time – and I can feel the difference – less of a driving rhythm, more on autopilot.

Idea for a new biathalon: run 5k then give a over-tired toddler a bath.

5k in 28:20

Found a good 8 mn/mi rhythm right away. Too bad it only stuck with me for, well, 8 min. By k 3, I was there again and ended strong with a 7.5 mn/mi after another brief rest.

Overall pace: 9 mn/mi.

Running Past

Mom sent over the times from my last season in High School XC – I mostly finished between 20:30 and 21 min. Thanks mom.

Some good motivation after last night’s failed attempt due to going out too close to finishing dinner. While I hit a 7’42” mile. I stopped there.

Working With Nature to Stop Climate Change

“Researchers at the University of Wales are looking at how introducing different grasses into cattle diets can help reduce methane emissions. Cattle and dairy cows on factory farms are typically fed a high-protein diet of corn and soybeans, which…leads to a variety of digestive problems. Scientists believe that more-digestible feed will reduce these problems and thus help curb related methane emissions. Not surprisingly, some of the grasses found commonly in pastures and meadows in the UK—including white clover, rye, and a flower called bird’s foot trefoil—are all highly digestible.” – Danielle Nierenberg

Goal: 5k, Actual: 5k, Time: 30:52

Good run for the first K and a half, held a nice 7 mn/mi pace. It was a fight to keep going after that and while I reached 7 again at the 3k mark, I finished with an average 9.75 mn/mi.

The interval runs to this point have been a barometer to see where I fall in the Couch-to-5K running plan. Based on today’s run – I’m firmly in early week 5.

Playlist wise, I’m surprised to find the The Gentle Readers, The Be Good Tanyas, and the Dixie Chicks being more helpful to my running than my normal getting-stuff-done playlists.

Finally got the route figured out as well. My previous out-n-back was half a k short, Jen confirmed the distance in the Cruiser and turns out halfway puts me on the backside of a loop. Nice. Tonight though, I made a wrong turn just after 3k and ended up lost in a cemetery – chased by directionless Joss Whedon fans.

10 July 2007 Update:
Just confirmed the running loop with Google Maps. Exactly 5k. Nice.

Goal: 5k, Actual: 5k, Time: 30:32

Pretty hard run. Thankfully, the dust was gone. Unfortunately, it was replaced by 96F heat.

iTunes isn’t remembering my Nikeplus.com account info – so none of the workout data is being sent to the Nike site. Definitely not the seamless integration advertised. Maybe I’ll look into this after I cool down.

Update: Not sure what I just did – aside from plugging in the Nano one more time – but the sync now seems to be working.