Thursday, June 23, 2005

06.22.2005: Loop da loop

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 51:50
Location: Claremont Wilderness Park
Notes: It's been a couple of weeks since I last ran this ass-kicking trail. I decided to run the loop clockwise this time to see if it was easier, but feeling lazy, I set my run/walk intervals at 2:1 expecting to finish slow. Remarkably, I completed the course in record time. On analysis, the improvement may be due to running the course clockwise, implying that clockwise is an easier route. However, I noticed no difference in difficulty or distance of the uphill portion of the trail. It's pretty much equal, roughly 2-2.5 miles uphill. The clockwise route, in fact, is less gradual in its steepness.

I can also attribute the improvement on the run/walk ratio. I think I put out more effort during the two minutes I'm runnin than when I was doing a 3:1 ratio. Or it could just signal an overall improvement in my running. We'll have to study this. Perhaps in a couple of weeks I can complete the trail in under 50 minutes. With hill training coming up, I'm ahead of the game in running hills. With the 5K coming up on 4th of July, I'm hoping to finally crack the 24 minute mark. I'm just not built for speed.

On an unrelated note, they need to empty the Port-a-Potty at the start of the trail. That thing is nasty, especially with the hot weather we've been having.

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