Third Time's a Charm

Like any flawed experiment, I changed all the variables each time I ran a 5 mile trail along the scenic Potomac River this past week. I felt my running plateaued and I wanted to discover why my speed had slowed to its lowest point since I started training in April.

Aug. 18: I went running during a hot and humid morning and covered the first two miles relatively quickly in 13:30. That was apparently too fast, though, and the rest of my run slowed to a crawl. I finished in about 41 minutes, which meant that I ran the last three miles at a 9:10/mile pace. I initially blamed the oppressive heat, but knew that my foolishly quick start contributed to my struggle to return home.

Aug. 20: I set out again first thing in the morning, and conditions were still hot and humid. However, learning my lesson from my last run, I started out at a reasonable speed, covering the first two miles in about 15:00. Still, exhaustion set in - my speed slowed significantly and I finished in 40 to 41 minutes yet again. This was particularly demoralizing, because I thought I was being "responsible" by taking it easy from the start. What happened? I really had no idea.

Aug. 22: I went running during the evening this time, but under cooler (80 ℉/26.7 C) and drier conditions. Not learning my lesson from the other day, I started out a little fast again, covering the first 1.5 miles in under 10 minutes and alternated the rest of my run between quick and slow half mile intervals. My total time came to a little over 37 minutes, which made me feel better about myself.

Since the weather and my starting pace differed each time, I really have no universally applicable conclusions. One take away, however, aside from learning that I don't run well on an empty stomach when it's hot and humid and directly exposed to the sun, is that during oppressive weather conditions my time on the road trumps distance or speed. Whether I ran quickly or slowly, once I hit the 15 minute mark, I was done. Fortunately my next race will be in October, when hot weather shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise if I have just 15 minutes, the only other solution would be to learn how to run a 5K really, really fast.