First 30 Min Recovery Run

Today, I started Week 4 of my 6-Week 10K Training Plan. It started with a 30-min recovery run, which is the longest recovery run I've had so far. I cannot WAIT until 30-min runs become easy for me again. It's like how I feel about 15-min runs right now, they're so short and simple even though I'm still covering about 1.5 miles. With a 30-minute run, I do eventually get to the point where it sounds like a "quick 30" but for right now, it's still kind of long.

I waited until around 8pm to go out to run which was a very good decision as the temperature seemed to drop a bit as the sun started to set. I decided to do a loop that I walk all the time. The bummer of doing a loop I already know is that I already know the exact distance, so even though I'm thinking that okay, 30-min is easy, I also know that this loop is less than 3 miles so not even long enough to get me through the run. It's an odd realization when you're running and thinking about distance and time and routes because it's constantly a battle of "30 minutes isn't very long" vs. "okay but that is still around 3 miles which I consider a decently long distance." ANYWAY, I felt significantly better than I did at the start of the 6K run last week. One, my outfit choice was much better for the weather and two, it just wasn't hurting as bad. It is trippy in the beginning of these runs though because my mom runs with me and usually starts a little before me and it takes me a bit to pass her, so I think I'm running slower than I am (we have different paces). However, it turns out she starts her runs kinda fast whereas I start slower and get faster as I go. I try to not look at my watch, but I feel it when it buzzes so I realized my first mile was right around a 10-minute pace, which is great, but a little faster than I should be going. However, I have no self-control and want to run fast, so I did not try to slow down over the next 2 miles.

I started with my Spotify daylist which was "Happy Indie Crunchy Monday Morning" (think "Freakin Out on the Interstate"). I would normally love this type of playlist, but it was a little too calm for me, didn't entertain me enough. So, I switched to one of those Spotify blends where your playlist is meshed with one of your friends. That was a better choice, had a little more upbeat songs in it. However, I honestly don't pay THAT much attention to the music while I'm running. I only really notice when I'm having a horrible time and need to distract myself. But on a day like today, I mostly listened to Coach Bennett and overanalyzed the run.

Overall, pretty solid run. I was once again out of breath more than I should've been at the end of it, but I liked the speed, felt solid, and like knowing that 30-min runs will soon become easy. Also, I did check my heart rate after and while it is still high, it's lower than during my 6K run, so I guess I really was doing better on this run. I still probably have NEVER run a recovery run in "Zone 2" like they say you should, but this seems to work out just fine for me.