It was beautiful out today. It was warmer than I prefer (mid-70s) but it was overcast so it never got too hot. I did an eight mile out and back course at White Rock Lake. The lake is about 9.25 miles around (it can be stretched to longer distances with some additional loops) so I went almost all the way around and then turned around and went back. Best of all, I was pleased with my times. They weren't extremely fast but they were fairly even, and I didn't push myself to go fast. I didn't experience any major slowdown toward the end and was able to keep an even energy level (I even kicked it on the last mile for my fastest split, 10:51). My average pace was below my marathon PR pace, so that's pretty good!
I used my Ultimate Direction Gemini water pack on the walk and it worked out very well. It has two bottles (I use one for water and one for gatorade) and an awesome little pocket in front that is big enough for my gel flask and electrolyte tablets. It has a large storage area in the back which is a little too big for walks of this distance but should be great when I get into the ultra distances.
Splits:
11:55
11:28
11:18
11:15
11:24
11:16
11:20
10:57
11:11
11:01
11:38
11:24
11:09
10:50 (I think this was a mistake; I think the Garmin lost .05 miles so this is a little faster than it should be)
11:23
10:51
Distance: 16 miles
Time: 3:00:28
Pace: 11:17
