No "Coach O" for me last night...

So yesterday evening right after I got off work, I drove over to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's indoor track & field facility in Princess Anne (Somerset County), Maryland to run unattached in the 5,000 meter (5 kilometers, about 3.1 miles) race at this intercollegiate indoor track & field meet called the Coach O Invitational. I was hoping that maybe I could run under a six-minute-per-mile pace. However, when I got there about an hour before the intended race time (6:20 P.M.), I found out that the meet had been so far ahead that they ran the event well before its intended start, and therefore I missed it and got there as the 4X400 meter relay races were going on (and those relays were the last event of the meet). For the first few minutes I felt pretty bummed about driving a long ways through Maryland to run this race. I guess I should have assumed that as more of a risk, since the meet was on a rolling schedule, but I did not think it would get that far ahead of schedule.
Well fortunately I was there anyway with my running gear with me, so I stretched and had myself my first mile-repeat workout of this running season, and it went pretty well (and that indoor track and facility is pretty good in my opinion). I warmed up and cooled down for about half a mile, and ran it in my training shoes (I didn't bother to put on my spikes because I was worried that since the meet was ending, the facility would be closing soon afterwards and i would not have time to get in a workout I had planned for next week and was now having the opportunity to get in this week). I ran two one-mile repeats (that's a little over eight laps on this indoor track) with a little over four minutes in between. I was blessed to have the second one a little faster than the first and to increase my pace throughout both of them.
Here's how I did:

Mile repeat #1:
1/4 mile (2 laps): 1:37
1/2 mile (4 laps): 3:04
3/4 mile (6 laps): 4:30
7 laps: 5:11ish
1 mile: 5:53

Mile repeat #2:
1/4 mile (2 laps): 1:37
1/2 mile (4 laps): 3:01
3/4 mile (6 laps): 4:27
7 laps: 5:09
1 mile: 5:50 and some change

I was pretty pleased with that workout and I felt I held onto a solid form throughout.

Afterwards I got to see some friends from my college I went to on the Maryland Eastern Shore, Salisbury University, and my good friend JD (whose done some races with me and who I ran on SU's cross country team with freshman year) let me stay at his place, so that was a blessing. I had a great time catchin' up with a lot of people and having encouraging talks about life, running, work, school... It was just a wonderful time.


On my way back to Howard County, Maryland this afternoon I went for an intended easier run (although I thought I ended up running a little harder than intended but I felt great). I ran on the Cross-Island Trail in the Kent Island area of Queen Anne's County, Maryland (a flat running venue that I like that I don't run on that much since it's the better part of an hour's drive from my house). I felt pretty good considering I did not sleep much from staying up late and talking with my friend and then getting up early to study for my human development course (which is startin' out all right, but seems to promise a demanding workload) and head home. On this run, I pretty much ran the Race to Impact 10K route on the Cross Island Trail (adding on a little extra), starting from the Club One parking lot and following the trail out to the Old Love Pointe Park area and then turning around to retrace my steps. At about halfway through (probably a little more than 5 kilometers), I was 20:51ish and then I finished at 42:11, so I did not slow down all that much and I definitely ran under seven-minutes per-mile for about 6.3 miles (give or take). So that was a nice run, but then I felt a lot more sleepy afterwards. Fortunately, I was still able to drive safely home.

All right, I'm gonna get ready and go to meet up with some friends tonight. Thank you for reading. I hope to do another running event in Somerset County, Maryland this year, like maybe the McCready Health Services Foundation Founder's Day 8K in Crisfield or the Mike Sterling 10K in Crisfield (and if I try to make those, hopefully I actually make them on time)!

You all have a good night and God bless you :)