I got home from class tonight around 8 PM, and it was time for a run.  Perfect running weather, too!

The rain that has been pelting New Jersey for a few days has moved on. It was dark out and a bit brisk, but not too cold – in the mid 50′s. I love running in this kind of weather. I don’t get overly sweaty, but I don’t have to worry about my hands freezing off!

I went out for a simple 5k steady state run. The loop is actually about 5200m. Unlike last time, I took my stop watch and tracked the splits so I could gauge my recent progress.

• One Mile: 7:40
• Two Miles : 15:55
• Three Miles: 23:50
• 5200m: 25:30

I made a conscious effort to push the pace slightly today, to see what my time was like. Still, I was definitely not running at a full race pace. My breathing increased at first, but it stabilized at an increased but sustainable rate. My heart rate was elevated, but only a short 400m walk after I finished my heart rate was below 140.

I was thrilled with my time – which would be about a 24:30 or 24:45 5k.  Not a great time by any stretch, but it’s a milestone for me (the first time I ran under 25). I’m still not sure if I’ll hit my goal of 21:00 by December, but this is a step in the right direction.

The real weakness here was the second split. I’m not sure why I ran so much slower (~8:15) on the second mile, while the first and third miles were both a tad under 8 minutes.  The first mile is net downhill, so that might have helped, but the third mile is a slow, steady incline. Maybe I just need to work mentally on pushing through that second mile, and I can trim a few seconds off there.

It’s also nice to know that I can run a mile under 8 minutes without taxing myself too much. It’s been a long time since I’ve run a decent mile, and over the summer I was still pretty winded after doing an 8 minute mile.

I missed my interval workout this weekend – I was super busy. But after this, I’m looking forward to hitting the track next weekend!