Making The Tempo Run My Bitch

Tempo Run: 5.21 miles in 41:36 minutes
Dog run: 1 mile ~10 minutes
Homework: 20 minutes

I think I did better with the tempo run this time, because it sucked really really hard.


I was too fucking tired to smile or look at the camera.

My training plan suggested my fastest pace for the tempo run be my 10k time. Since I was doing my speed work based on a fantasy 5k time, it made sense to do my tempo run at a fantasy 10k time. Right? So, I made a note on my training spreadsheet to peak at a 7:30 pace.

My area of the city does not have a plethora of running paths without stop lights, but there are a few options. I chose one that gave me a 5 miles loop. I was supposed to do 40 minutes for the tempo run, and I figured 5 miles would bring me in a little over 40 minutes, but it would be worth it to be able to do a loop. I planned for a one mile warm up and a one mile cool down, and three hard miles in the middle.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with those hard miles, besides hitting that 7:30.

My splits: 7:21, 7:22, 7:28

Yeah.

It was awful. I thought about slowing down. Often. After the first mile I thought I would just let my tempo run peak early, count that as hitting my goal, and gradually slow down. But, I couldn't let myself do it. It was a cop out. After the second mile I was comfortable with having two solid tempo miles under my belt, and figured I was supposed to gradually slow down for the final tempo mile. But, it was just one more mile. And it was so close to my race pace, I had to TRY. I wasn't trying to maintain the 7:22. I was just trying to keep it under 7:30. I don't know why. I like to compete against myself.


I was trying to take a picture of how grossly sweaty the back of my neck was, but it ended up being a super creepy picture of my back. I'm sharing it because this is the internet.

The cooldown mile (Well, 1.2 miles, whatever) was awful. Everything was awful. The whole thing never stopped sucking. But, as far as I could tell from the advice you guys gave me, and what I read online, it was supposed to suck. So, yay?

And then I drove home and ran the dog for a less shitty mile.

And then I did my stupid trainer homework. Still stuck on only two pull ups in a row. PISSED to go back to that after getting up to three. *sigh* I did basically take 3 weeks off from pull ups, so there's that. Still pissed, though. STUPID ARMS.


This is my "I would make love to the camera if there wasn't sweat running down my ass crack and sunshine in my eyes" look.

So. Tempo runs. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, still, but it feels like I'm doing *something.*

Today I'm meeting my trainer at a park by my office so we can throw around heavy kettlebells without worrying about breaking any concrete. I'm stoked. So stoked.