5k Training: Day Five

Sorry this post is a bit late.  My family and I went on vacation this week and though I had access to a computer, I chose to enjoy the time visiting with family I hadn't seen in a while.  That said, I did take my running clothes with me and I did go for my run.  I'm pretty proud of myself, this is the first time I haven't used traveling as an excuse.
I woke up a little late, but since we were away from home and my husband didn't have to work, I was able to go for a run without any worries.  I discovered something this week, variety in a run can be both good and bad.  I started out, and because I had never explored the neighborhood before, I was fascinated by my surroundings.  The paths wove in and out, up and down [very] small hills.  A blue sky and a light breeze provided relief from my home town snow and clouds.  I decided to explore and simply run when the bells chimed to do so.  So relaxing to go on a new path.  At home I run the same streets each time, pacing myself with familiar landmarks, knowing exactly how far I have to go before the next bell will chime.  In the new area I had no familiarity, no landmarks so shoot for.  I ran simply to run.  Much before I felt it would, the cooldown signal rang and I had finished my training.  I was so lost in deciding which way to go, looking at the new houses and surroundings, my mind had wondered from the run, focusing on something else.

I wish the trail I ran had been this beautiful.

Remember how I said this can be both good and bad?  Well, it was good because I didn't dwell on the pain in my legs, I wasn't counting down each interval waiting for it to be done.  The bad?  I wasn't focused on the run and I didn't push myself as much as I could.  My numbers, though not all bad, had one of the worst paces so far, a 16:47 for a run.  Not my best. Not even good for a walking speed.  So my goal for the next run?  We are home now, but I'm going to try the sporadic running trail, but this time be sure to focus on speed.  Still pushing myself without the monotony of knowing when each interval will finish.
Stats:

Distance 1.71 Mi.

Duration 27:00

Avg. Pace 15:50

Avg Speed 3.79 mph

Intervals	Pace (min/mi)	Elevation (ft)
5:00 (warmup)	17:02	-3
1:00 (fast)	12:05	-1
1:00 (slow)	15:32	2
1:00 (fast)	13:25	2
1:00 (slow)	17:31	0
1:00 (fast)	13:41	1
1:00 (slow)	16:46	1
1:00 (fast)	16:47	0
1:00 (slow)	18:19	0
1:00 (fast)	11:27	-1
1:00 (slow)	20:31	-1
1:00 (fast)	13:41	0
1:00 (slow)	19:20	-2
1:00 (fast)	14:02	-1
1:00 (slow)	18:01	2
1:00 (fast)	12:54	1
1:00 (slow)	15:46	-1
1:00 (fast)	13:36	1
5:00 (cooldown)	17:30	1