I went out for an “easy” 3-mile run, and I ended up running my fastest 3 miles EVER.
I wasn’t trying to run fast. I even made a point to not look at my watch every few minutes like I normally do. I just ran at a pace that felt comfortable to me.
Apparently, comfortable to me is running the third mile in a single-digit minute per mile pace. What? This girl doesn’t run single-digit minute per mile paces (except with the starting and stopping of the watch during speed work with breaks in between sprints).
So, what does this mean? Why did I run my fastest 3 miles ever when running at an easy, comfortable-to-me pace? Well, I have some theories.
- All of the speed work and consistent training is paying off, and this turtle is finally getting faster. This means running faster without feeling like death.
- I was running by myself (which I highly dislike), so I ran fast to get it over with.
- Since I had this day off from work, I actually got enough sleep and didn’t have the stress of a normal workday. Maybe ideal pre-run conditions contributed to an ideal run?
- I ran fast to get away from a hacking, spitting guy.
This gives me some hope that what I thought was a far-off dream of an under 30-minute 5K isn’t so far off. Or maybe it was a fluke, and I’ll go back to being my slow, turtle self again.
How did you get faster? Did it take awhile to see a decrease in your time? Do you run fast to get away from hacking, spitting guys?
