A little speedwork

Miles: 3.5
Pace: too fast

I wanted to do some speedwork this afternoon, but instead of going to the track, I decided to do a mile fast on the treadmill and then do a fast timed mile on the road. For whatever reason, I attempted to do this without eating lunch, which obviously wasn't a great idea, so I didn't perform spectacularly well. I had been busy washing my car for most of the morning/early afternoon (it's extra shiny now, in addition to being salt-free), and I just wasn't that hungry, so I drank some fruit juice for quick energy and hopped on the treadmill. The fast mile on the treadmill went fairly well, although not quite as fast as the last time I had run it. Unfortunately, it sapped all of my energy. I sat down and rested as fully as I could before drinking a little more and setting out for the second mile. I started out fast -- as it turns out, much too fast. I thought I was going at a normal pace that felt fast because I was tired; however, I was probably doing a sub 7-minute pace, since after about half a mile I slowed to a shuffle and still managed to finish it in 8:44. It figures that right after I began my shuffle, one of my support staff's friends drove by (which is very unusual, since he lives 45-60 minutes away. I thought that road was in the middle of nowhere, but this is the second time this month that someone I know has randomly passed me while I was running on it...come to think about it, it was at the same spot that the library director passed me...

Anyway, I've learned my lesson and will properly fuel and hydrate before running from now on. I've also decided to wait until the winter to give blood. I've been getting so excited about increasing my mileage that I'd be very disappointed if every day ended up like today: having no energy and being forced to slow down when I know I have it in me to go farther and faster. Instead of giving blood tomorrow morning, I'm going to go kayaking with my dad, which I'm really excited about, since I haven't been out on the lake at all this year.