Speedy Sunday

Today I did a 45 minute tempo run to wrap up the week. I went down to Crystal Cove to run - not remembering that today was also the Pacific Coast Triathlon. But, other than the crowds that made parking a *little* tougher (I think I had to park an additional 100 yards from my normal spot) I was able to get my run in and got off the trails before the run portion of the tri got started.

I was surprised at how well I felt during this run. My initial mile came in at a 9:56 despite a potty stop. Over the next 25 minutes I concentrated on relaxing. I have noticed recently that I seem to be tensed and hunched when running. I started paying attention after listening to Petros Papadakis on our local sport station. Petros was a USC football player during the "dark days" before Pete Carroll. Among his other accomplishments, Petros was also a world class track athlete. He was talking about the importance of relaxation when running - as he put it "that why you see all those weird facial expressions." After that, I've tried to pay attention to that, and have noticed the tension when I run. So today, when I noticed that I was tensing up, I tried to relax - let my shoulders down and head back. It must have worked because mile 3 was an 8:51 without really being too tired - and it included a hill to boot.

I finished the 45 minute run with 4.75 miles, for an average pace of 9:30 - and that's after slowing down to a 10:05 for the final three quarters a mile. I think I'll need to watch this some more in the coming weeks.....