It's A Long Way To The Top {If You Want To Rock & Roll}

Final run of the year and final track workout of 2014,yesterdays 6 miler coupled w/ this mile warm up and cool down either side of 4x1 mile repeats would give me 1,478 miles for the year......what I wouldn't have given for another 22 miles to give me 1,500 miles for the year!!!!

Also I would have given something for slightly warmer temps....Saturdays unseasonably warm 57 degs had been replaced w/ a below average {42 degs} 37 degrees although upon my arrival at Geasey Field at 3.45pm my initial concern was the sun glare as the back straight was bathed in sunshine and I hadn't thought to bring shades w/ me,prefering to cater to the 37 degrees and packing ski hat and thermal gloves in ye olde backpack......
However that said re the sun glare by the end of mile #2 the back straight was no longer bathed in sunlight.

10 days ago I 'd gone:5.25.0-5.32.5-5.39.0-5.29.1 and hoped for an improvement on that this time out,I pondered if 1.20-1.25-1.25-1.20=5.30 pace x4 was doable......one way to find out eh?

#1 mile
1.17-1.22-1.24-1.18=5.21.3
A brisk start,I just hoped I hadn't gone out too briskly.

#2 mile
1.22-1.25-1.26-1.15=5.28.9
It looked like I'd bitten off more than I could chew through 1,200m but thanks to a 75 second closing lap snuck under the 5.30 mark.....

#3 mile
1.23-1.27-1.26-1.14=5.30.2
Thought I blown it w/ that opening 1.23 where I was guilty of switching off mentally but thanks to a closing 400m in 74 seconds managed to keep it at 5.30........

#4 mile
1.23-1.27-1.28-1.12=5.30.4
W/ identical 400m and 800m splits I was confident if I came through 1,200m in 4.16 again I could dial up another closing 400m in 74 seconds.....so you can imagine my horror at seeing 4.18 at 1,200m,this was then further compounded by Ms New Mexico Junior College{that's what the back of her warm up jacket read} stepping off the infield into lane 1 at the top of the back straight just as I was coming off the bend. w/out checking if anyone {ie me!!!} was using/running in lane 1.
Forced wide into lane 2 and cutting back into lane 1 I had now lengthened my stride rather than wait till 200m to go to kick.
I told myself I had to run like there was no tomorrow and run as if my life depended on it.....which may explain the closing  400m in 72 seconds and another 5.30 mile......

All in all I was pleased w/ this performance,not only all 4 at 5.30 and under but also an 18 second improvment on Dec 20ths outing...which it should be pointed out were done at lunch time on a Saturday not at 3.45pm on a workday.....not a bad way to finish off the year if I say so myself