TITLE: Negative PRs
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: April 11, 2007  7:41 AM
DESC: 
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BODY:
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2005-08.html#e2005-08-22T19_55_10.htm">
   Negative splits</A>
are usually a good thing.  A negative PR is usually not.

In the last fours days, I have recorded a dubious achievement.
I have run my slowest time ever on three different routes,
ranging from 3 miles to 9 miles.  And these times weren't
close to what I expect.  The only thing that saved me from
the more dubious four-for-four was the 1.5 miles yesterday
in the middle of a 5.5-mile route on which I picked up my
pace to something speakable.

My rationalization is that this downturn in speed is the result
of running a few more miles again plus my first interval
workout in seven months -- a 5x800m, 6.5-mile workout last
Friday.

Patience, patience.

<STRONG>UPDATE</STRONG>:  I almost made it four for five this
morning, but I came in a minute or two under my slowest time
for the route in question.  Of course, that slowest time had
been run in 8" of slushy snow, a year ago December!  Rationalizing
this one would have been even easier to make, as I ran an
extra four miles with a student last night and my legs should
be a bit more tired than usual.  Besides, both the run last
night and the one this morning were also done in 4-5" of slushy
snow as well.  I don't usually plan on snow runs for mid-April,
but at least it was nice to break a fresh pack of snow one last
time before spring arrives for good.
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