Looking Back

So today I was reviewing my splits from my PR half marathon race last year at the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon. I ran a personal best of 1:33:33. That equates to an average pace of 7:08 per mile. I however didn't run 7:08 per mile. I did what is called negative splitting. The first 5 miles were in 7:36 pace, after 8 mile marker my pace was at 7:19. Then for the next 5.1 miles I ran at a pace to get me to 7:08 per mile. This morning I had a tempo run on my schedule. I ran 5.5 miles at a 7:19 average pace. I again ran negative splits on this run. I had an average HR of 163 and a peak of 188. It is amazing what the body can do. Every race I have ever done and set a PR I have had negative splits. It can be hard to control yourself and not tear out of the starting blocks but once you have mastered this you can begin to set PR's. I still think my time for that half marathon is outstanding, and I probably won't be breaking it any time soon. Unless that is my goal for the season.

On another note, I attended my first Hot Yoga class on Tuesday evening and plan to attend another one tonight. It was invigorating. The classroom temperature is set to 98.6 degrees with 60% humidity. The class is 90 minutes long. I was drenched in sweat after the class. I like the class format a lot better than my Yoga DVD's too. Its not cheap but I think after the introductory period is up I will be a regular and sign up for the unlimited classes per month. It costs $109.00, but will be worth its weight in gold in terms of increasing my flexibility and heat acclimatization. One of my beliefs about flexibility is that it is AS important as the actual training. For example, you could have the strongest heart, legs, arms, but what good are they if you can move them through a full range of motion. If you are trying to race in endurance sports and can't touch your feet without bending your legs..... you should skip a workout and do some Yoga. In my honest opinion, running one less day and doing yoga will make you a better runner hands down. Have a good day everyone.