Ben and I went to the track in Astoria Park today to do some speed work. It was a perfect day for running outside – sunny, but crisp and cool. The plan was that I would run 1.5 to 2 miles at a 7:30 pace. Last week I ran 1.75 miles at a 7:30 pace on a treadmill. It went really well last week. I didn’t get a side stitch unlike the previous speed work sessions.
Ben paced me (and was my water sherpa) as usual. The first mile went fine. The first half mile of the second mile also felt good. As I started the 7th lap, I was feeling tired, but I knew I could go run the full 2 miles even though quitting before 2 miles was a bit tempting. At the 8th lap I was really tired and I was running more slowly. Ben urged me on because we were going to cut it close. On the last stretch I ran as hard as I could and just made it! Two miles in 15 minutes.
We had fun looking at what the McMillan Running Calculator gave as equivalent runs for different distances. I’m working on a sub-24 5K. Right now it’s predicting a 24:31 time, which I think is too conservative. I think if I ran the first two miles in 15 minutes and fell apart, I think I could hold it together enough to finish the last 1.1 at a 8:00 pace. Anyway, these are my thoughts.
Training is going nicely and I’m looking forward to testing my fitness in three weeks when we have a 5K.
A Fast Paced Life 
Nice work! You’ve definitely got a sub-24 5K in you. Looking forward to hearing how it goes in 3 weeks!