Breaking a mental Barrier

Today I was determined to run a 7:30 pace for 3 miles.  I have gotten close, but havn't been successful so far.  But today was different.  I got to mile marker 2 and noticed I was exactly at 15 min.  I was spot on for my pace, with only 1 mile to go.  In my mind I just knew I was going to fade so I sped up a little to overcome.  By the last .5 mile I was flying and must have been running somewhere in the 6:30 mile range.  Anyway, I pushed through a previous barrier and clipped off a 3 mile run in 21:09!

I suppose next breaking 21 min is in order.  Overall, I think my distance runs have helped out.  I am training for a half mary with a 10K in the middle and the 3 mile just "feels" short.

Oddly, my legs feel better after running faster...and even though my HR got up to 170 I recovered to under 80bpm within about 3 minutes minute of walking.