In the second group meeting of Fleet Feet’s marathon training program, we met at a high school track for a timed pace trial. The finish time for one mile today determines which pace group will be best for training with over the course of the program. I finished a 5K in just under 30 minutes a few weeks ago, so I knew I could come in under ten minutes, but I was wondering if I could come in under nine. I did it! I finished at 8:45, but I was pushing at more of 85-90% effort rather than the suggested 70% (it was so dang cold!). I’m guessing that a pace group around 11:00 will be the best fit for me.

I picked up a new piece of running gear this week that I’m really happy with so far, an UltrAspire Quantum waist belt. After upgrading to an iPhone 6 I had the problem of my armband being too small for the phone. I looked at larger armbands but yikes, they felt like strapping a brick to my arm. I looked at waist belts too, and I already have a Camelbak hydration belt with an ample pocket, but I wanted something more basic and streamlined for activities where I’m not carrying water along. I came across the UltrAspire Quantum in the clearance bin at Bull City Running and it’s perfect! I like how it’s sized (small/medium/large) with some stretch instead of one-size with a buckle, so there aren’t straps hanging down. The small fits me great, just a bit below the waistband of my running tights. The large front pocket is perfectly sized for the iPhone 6 (in a very slim tech21 case), with the headphone jack coming out right next to the (closed) zipper pull. There are two additional stretchy pockets on the back, good for a car key, gel, chap-stick. It’s also got clips on the front for a race bib (no sticking holes in your tech shirts) and some small loops for, I dunno, maybe clipping on other stuff. It would be less convenient if I needed frequent access to apps on my phone during runs, but I use a linked Pebble watch to pause/resume Runkeeper tracking and see how my pace and distance are going. So far after 3 or 4 runs with it I’m happy with how it’s working out.