Steve - 4.5

On a hot and windy 5K run right along the Pacific Ocean, I failed in my quest to crack the elusive sub 21 time that I had so earnestly been targeting. I came in at a disappointing 21:51. The time itself was not what was most disappointing, it was more how my legs felt in the last mile. When I got to the 3rd mile, my legs were shot. My lungs were ready for the final push, but my legs were like jelly. I had deliberately run the first mile slow so as to make sure I could finish with a strong mile. Now you might think I'm crazy when I reveal the mile splits because it doesn't make any sense.

7:20
7:28
6:23
:40 (for the final 200 meters)

What I think happened is the course was not correctly marked and the second mile was actually long. Because I know I ran it faster than the first, and I also know there is no way in hell I ran the final mile in 6:23. I did my mile time trial in 6:20 last week! It was probably more closer to 7:00, but it just felt really slow because I was pushing my legs hard and they weren't responding the way I wanted them to. Anyway, I need to rethink some of the runs I am doing. I'm probably going to do an actual speed workout every week, something like 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 200 at either race pace or touch faster than race pace. My tempo run should probably be either a bit faster(maybe right at the edge of McMillan's suggested pace) or a bit longer, or both. Regardless, I want to increase my mileage while also adding a quality workout that will prepare my legs better for race day. If you've made it this far, my sincere apologies. I have rambled on for quite a while but I felt like I had to after today's disappointment.