Daily run: I need more mind control.

Today was a quality workout at Team Rogue, a speed day. I love these days. They are exhilarating. You spend so many days running slow and easy that a fast run is just what your legs have been begging for.

The workout was 2x2 mile at your half marathon pace with a three minute recovery. We did a four-mile warm up north on Shoal Creek Blvd then ran back. I was not supposed to let myself run faster than 7:15 pace. And so in that sense, I failed. My mind couldn't, wouldn't put the breaks on my body.

When you only have to run two miles fast at a time and you get a break afterwards, its hard to control your pace.

And so here were my min/mile paces for each mile:

1 - 6:40
2 - 6:35
3 - 6:44
4 - 6:50 (slight uphill)
My times got slower but not for the reason you might think. I didn't get tired. I wasn't out of breath. No,after the first two miles, I decided to try really hard to run closer to the 7:15 pace that I was supposed to be at. Still, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't run any slower. (Most of the four miles were slightly downhill except for the last mile).

Most of the other runners also had the same kind of paces in relation to the time they were supposed to keep: 20 to 30 seconds faster and, like me, they got slower each mile trying to run the right pace. (For some, slower meant going from 5:30 pace to 5:45 -- Yikes. That's just unreal!)

I've got a 14-miler Saturday and I won't have any problems keeping the right pace (slow) for that run.