I’d planned to go out

I’d planned to go out last night and do a 3-mile run at 11:00/mile pace. I wanted to see if I could do that pace consistently without leg pain after running Tuesday (12:30/mile) and Wednesday (speed work) with only twinges of pain — nothing like what was affecting me over the past month.
I started out right on target and was feeling so good at mile 1 that I decided to pick it up a bit. I thought about Sam‘s run the other day where he did 3 miles in 7, 6, and then 5 minutes (damn that’s fast) and ruefully thought “I couldn’t even do an 11-10-9 minute progression. Maybe 11-10:30-10…” And I was feeling good enough that I decided to go for it.
The result? A total 3-mile time of 31:25 with an average heart rate of 176 which broke down into:
1 – 11:04
2 – 10:34
3 – 9:47!!
Yes, a 10:28/mile average and a 9:47 final mile! And I wasn’t dead at the end either. I felt good. Strong. Breathing hard, but not out of control. It felt good. It was just the run I needed heading into Saturday’s Reindeer Run 5K. My goal time for Saturday had been 34:00, but after last night I have to admit that I’m going to try for last night’s pace — and a finish time more like 32:30. Even if I can’t do it on Saturday (it’s supposed to be warmer outside) I’m pumped about last night.