For day 2 I ran 4km. My average pace was 6'59", I ran 4km in the time of 28 minutes.
Here is my average pace and elevation per kilometer:
1KM - avg pace of 6'12", elevation of 10m
2KM - avg pace of 6'51" , elevation of -9m
3KM - avg pace of 7'37" , elevation of 21m
4KM - avg pace of 7'14" , elevation of -18m Something a little different than I did compare to my previous 3km run, was that I tried closing my mouth (breath through my nose). Just before I went out for my 4km run, my dad told me that if you breathe through your nose whilst running, it preserves your energy better. With this being said if you feel the need to open your mouth (breathe through your mouth) - it's a sign to slow down your pace for a more comfortable/effective run. According to the Washington post, the nose adds moisture and warmth to inhaled air for smoother entry to the lungs. Compared to mouth breathing, nasal breathing can allow for more oxygen to get to active tissues.
My experience with this tip was quite interesting. I found that it did let me know when I was pushing myself too much, allowed me to run at a more comfortable pace, and preserve my energy better. However, I could see my pace per kilometer increase rather drastically and towards the last 1 kilometer. This could be because it was downhill or this breathing tip that has slowed my pace down a little bit. Around 1/2 km into my run, I found that I started to get a headache, and it felt as if I was wearing a tight headband, that was squeezing my head more and more with each couple of steps I took. I also found myself longing for a cold glass of water, feeling quite dehydrated, around the same time. These bad responses could be from the breathing tip or (and seem most likely) from lack of proper hydration and attention to food.
Overall, this run did push me quite a lot. Throughout the run I tried to focus on my breathing, rather than the distance/pace I was running, this helped in distracting me from the distance. Now I am now feeling ready and prepared for my next run and know how I can possibly improve my time, and preserve my energy better. Throughout the run I tried to focus on the distance (4km), rather than my pace, this made the run a little more comfortable.
