Lunchtime Dog Runs Resume

First Tuesday back on the job and Justin and I have resumed our twice-a-week lunchtime runs, mutually deciding that 10km would be a good starting distance. Despite having reduced mileage over the holiday break, my crazy ultra trail running coworker immediately pushed the pace under 7 minutes per mile. I obviously could not maintain such pace for long, but our quick start did lend itself to good overall times (in my case, a 48:48).

Last Thursday, I had a 48:38 10km split on a 10 mile run, but the first three miles of that run are very gravity assisted with the next three being flat. Today's out-and-back is deceptively flat. I still have issues heading northwest through Palisades Park...my pace always drops significantly on that ever so subtle incline (it does not help that I see Justin pulling away from me as I struggle). My third mile has always been my slowest during these dog runs, but at least I am keeping it under 9 minutes per mile.

My wife Valerie and I have swapped GPS watches this year, so I am now using a Garmin Forerunner 305 with heart rate monitor...meaning I have new data to chart my progression. According to the watch, I maintained an average 164 beats per minute with a peak of 184...both higher than I expected. It will be interesting to see if the average comes down as I resume my regular weekly mileage. It is also worth noting how much my heart rate drops every time we hit a red light!