I Feel The Need.....

Even with the temperature at 90 degrees, the dew point at 74, and the heat index at 99, there was a good turnout for the weekly track series. I'd estimate there were over 50 kids competing and about a dozen adults. My volunteer duties consisted of being a popsicle hander outer at the finish of the kids 10 and under 50 yard dash (us big kids didn't get popsicles).

I had a successful run. The first heat was for the sub-6 minute milers, so one of my worries (being lapped not once, but twice) was greatly reduced. There were about 15 of us lined up for the second heat, and I tried not to trample any kids at the start. After about a half a lap, I settled in behind a kid that couldn't have been more than 7 years old. He ran a very consistent race, and was a good pacer for me. However, he turned up the speed on the last lap, and I couldn't hang with him. After the race, I shook his hand and thanked him for being such a good pacer.

Now for the results. Despite the heat and humidity, I ran an 8:48, meeting my first goal. Although I didn't actually puke, I felt very close to it the last half lap, so I'm counting this as a success. I ran fairly consistent splits of 2:08, 2:12, 2:15, and 2:13. My heart rate was definitely in the anaerobic zone averaging 169 for the whole mile and 177 for the last lap.

I'm going to have to try this again someday, maybe when conditions are cooler, and go for an even faster time.