Returned to Florence for the Ron Hebert race, hosted by the man himself:
Within the first 400m the outcome of the race was decided and I was able to turn all focus inward, mostly on maintaining a steady effort through the up and down rolls of the course. The initial stretch on route 9 lasted longer than I had remembered from the last time, the traffic got a bit annoying but soon enough the course turned onto back roads which was much better. I had only a vague idea of what kind of pace would be appropriate but figured shooting for 46 minutes overall would be reasonable. Hit the first flat mile in 5:45, with the long steady climb looming just ahead and more hills further along, and knew that wouldn't be happening. Made sure not to overdo it on the climbs, esp. the fifth mile. The reward for that patience was the sixth mile which combined a gentle downhill gradient with a great view to the south of the entire valley. Regrettably there was one small climb left to the seven mile mark which was a lot more taxing than I would have liked. Last mile was slower than I thought it would be given how flat it was, but a good chunk of it was into a steady breeze so who knows. Splits:
5:45
6:00
6:02
5:41
6:00
5:22
5:50
6:00
I'd like to say this was a tempo run given those modest split times but the effort was a little more strenuous than that. Still feeling some of the fatigue from staying up so late Friday night. The splits suggest that while some fitness has been restored that had deteriorated by mid-March, there's still a way to go. The effort was quite controlled through the first six miles which bodes well for next week. Breezy sunny and mild conditions, a great day to be outside and much appreciated after the crap we've been through the last three months.
No comments:
Post a Comment