My run this evening was a lot of fun. It was one of those runs, that starts out tough, but if you let them evolve as you go, they turn out great.

I ran on the same trail where I ran on Friday.  As I started running, my legs felt really stiff and tired.  As a result I chose to run at a very easy effort.  I was hoping that as I warmed up, my legs would start to feel better.

After a mile, my watch buzzed and I looked at my pace.  It was not great for me and much slower than my run on Friday. Over the years however, I have learned to ignore run paces at the start of my runs.  I have learned that paces can evolve as you go; they can change as you get further into your run.

That is what happened this evening.  During the second mile of my run, I kept my effort the same and my pace became a little faster.  My legs were starting to warm up.  Mile three was a little faster again.  By this time, I had made a u-turn on the trail and my legs were feeling close to normal.

As I headed back towards my car, I started to feel really good.  My pace for mile number four was again a little faster. I then decided that I would try to increase my effort and see how I felt.

As I started to run at a tempo pace, I found myself smiling.  I was enjoying myself and was beginning to feel strong.  I ran the last mile and a half at a very nice pace.  By the end of my run, I was flying along and had negative split every single mile.

This run was a great example of why you need to let your run evolve.  Sometimes, the whole run is a struggle, but on other occasions, a tough start turns into a great run. Today was one of those days.