8:30 was the perfect pace today

Great run today.  Ran with local Chicago Marathon training group, they were running 20, I ran 15 and had company because several were training for later marathons and wanted 15 only as well.  Weather was 50s and low 60s - perfect.

Here are the splits and HR data (I had HR interference or whatever in several of the miles):

Lap     Time                Lap Time        HR      Max    Avg     Min     Dist     min/mile         

1.         0:08:07.0         0:08:07.0         (Did not start watch until end of mile)

2.         0:16:38.1         0:08:31.1         144      148      145      140      0.0       0:00    

3.         0:25:20.5         0:08:42.4         146      151      144      137      0.0       0:00    

4.         0:33:33.9         0:08:13.4         151      152      144      124      0.0       0:00    

5.         0:41:56.3         0:08:22.4         147      152      148      144      0.0       0:00    

7.         0:59:19.4         0:17:23.1         147      150      144      115      0.0       0:00    

8.         1:07:51.0         0:08:31.6         144      150      145      140      0.0       0:00    

9.         1:16:03.2         0:08:12.2         135      155      147      98        0.0       0:00    

10.       1:24:23.6         0:08:20.4         148      155      134      98        0.0       0:00    

11.       1:32:54.6         0:08:31.0         149      154      149      145      0.0       0:00    

12.       1:41:05.1         0:08:10.5         105      160      148      105      0.0       0:00    

13.       1:49:56.4         0:08:51.3         138      147      121      89        0.0       0:00    

13.5.    1:54:48.5         0:04:52.1         137      143      139      135      0.0       0:00    

14.       1:59:04.5         0:04:23.0         149      152      146      137      0.0       0:00    

15.       1:07:29.8         0:08:18.3         150      155      150      144      0.0       0:00    

I ran with the 8:30 pace group, wanted to average 8:30, and you can see I exactly averaged 8:30 pace (despite having slower and faster miles).  This was terrific!  (I was pulled a little too fast in mile 12 by some runners who I did not realize were in their last mile, backed off too much in the next two miles, but then we picked it up nicely at the end.)

It is so great not being injured.  I ran a 6:53 "in and out" track mile at the Thursday Spivey track workout.  In the in and out mile we run laps 1 and 3 "fresh" and laps 2 and 4 "good," which means we back off from near 5K race pace for the "f" laps and bring it up to near 5K race pace the "g" laps.  I had gas in the tank at the end of the 6:53 mile.  We ran four other 400s in the workout (two before and two after the mile, a "f" not "g" pace.  Averaging the mile laps with the other 400s, all my 400s averaged 1:44.  I am figuring I could run a 5K now in 22 or maybe a bit under. It is hard to project a marathon pace from this, but I am certainly gaining speed and it gives me a lot of confidence that my Boston standard of 4 hours should be no problem in the Chicago Marathon on October 7.

Next weekend Coach Mike and I agree an 18 miler is in order before I start a two week taper.