5-mile fartlek run

Miles: 5
Pace 9:16

I just got back from such a satisfying run. It was the first time since March that I've run more than 3.5 miles, and it was 45 seconds per mile faster than my last 5-mile run. I went out thinking that I'd try to do a fartlek, almost changed my mind a few minutes in, and am so glad that I went with the original plan. After the first mile (which was somewhere over 9 minutes), I chose a spot up the road at the top of an incline and picked up the pace to get to it. Then I let the intensity down and coasted down the hill. I don't remember how many times I did this, but it was fairly frequently throughout the last 4 miles, and each time it was on a hill or slight incline. On flats I just kept a steady, easy pace. I feel great afterwards. If I run it on the trail, I can probably put more speed into the pickups, but I think that this, on the road, is a good training run for me.