msfitrunner

There’s a lot of tempo running going on here lately.  More tempo than I think I’ve ever consistently run.

All sorts of tempo

Aerobic threshold tempo

Lactate threshold tempo, aka, death by tempo

Tempo interval

Tempo Thursday

Tempo in the middle of a long run

It’s the lifeblood of marathon training

It’s everywhere

This week, I got a Tempo Thursday(I get to anticipate it ALL WEEK LONG, and usually after some sort of speed workout earlier in the week) in addition to Tempo in the Middle of a long run Sunday.  I’ve concluded that I dislike Tempo Thursday more than Tempo in the Middle of a Long Run Sunday.  The reason for this is that Tempo Thursday, albeit a shorter tempo, falls squarely into the category of hurt a lot, while Tempo in the Middle of Long Run falls into the category of hurt a bit less, because the pace is just slightly nicer to me, albeit longer.

But, a funny thing happens when you put two such tempos close to one another.  The mental anguish of how tough that second, slightly slower tempo in the long run will feel is much lower, even though it’s more miles and a longer tempo.  Theoretically, I will have just completed a shorter tempo at a faster pace, and can therefore expect to be able to run another one at a slower tempo pace, for a bit longer.  Once that first Tempo Thursday is done and the second one is on the horizon with a pace assignment that is a good 15 seconds slower/mile, I can only think, heck yes!  I can do this!  I just did one that was harder.  supposedly.

Here’s what this week looked like:

82 miles

8 runs/1 double day

2 workouts, 1 long run

Monday – Workout #1

12 x 400 meter HILL repeats on a 3-5 % grade, jog back down for recovery

9ish miles total

Super humid and warm

I have never done hill repeats.  I had no clue what a 3-5% grade was.  So, going with the term “hill” in the workout description, I took myself to the smallest “hill” by my house.  I discovered this hill knows no 3-5% grade.  It was more like a 9-13% grade.  I did not possess this useful information before my workout.  I just picked a hill, ran it, and proceeded to wonder what in the heck I did to deserve such torture on a Monday morning.  It was horrible.  I was very happy to find out after the fact that the 100ft elevation gain in a 1/4 mile and my heart nearly beating out of my chest with every climb up the hill was because I was not running up a 3-5% grade hill.  I was fairly certain it was steeper than 3-5 % grade, but did not think I was hitting 13%.  I was.  After the third repeat, I tossed my watch because looking at the pace was not doing me any good.  workout done.  Legs destroyed. First time I was sore from a workout in a long time.

Tuesday – 7 miles am, 6 miles afternoon

Wednesday – 10 miles early am

Thursday – Workout #2

Goal – 2 mile w/u, 5 mile tempo @ 5:55 – 6:00, 2 mile c/d

Actual – 11 miles total @ 6:42 with 5 tempo @ 5:59 average (6:00, 5:59, 5:54, 6:00, 6:00)

This is the time of year when I have to mention heat and humidity, because it most certainly effects the running.  It was 72 degrees, 72 dew point for this one.  97% humidity.  Safe to say the air was thick.  I was happy with the workout, especially given the temp/humidity.  I went into it expecting to be ok with adjusting the pace quite a bit for the temperature, so I was happy I tucked just under 6:00 avg pace.  The air was a bit suffocating.

Friday – 11 miles early am

Saturday – 12 miles am

Long Run: 16 miles @ 6:44

Goal – 16 miles with 8 tempo in the middle @ 6:10-15

Actual – 4 w/u, 8 tempo @ 6:07 average (6:11, 6:11, 6:07, 6:09, 6:09, 6:10, 6:00, 5:56), 4 mile c/d

My goal for these tempos is to stay in the range given and feel good in the assigned pace range and then pick it up for the last two, and finish well.

It was a cooler morning in the 60′s with fairly low humidity, only maybe 75%.

I’ve been running the majority of my workouts with my training partner since last summer.  I’ve run the past week and a half or so worth of workouts solo.  There’s a huge benefit to training with someone speedy, but it’s also nice to know that I can do these solo, without someone pulling me along…just me and my head, my head and me, battling out the tempo miles on the road.  It stresses me out a bit to have to do these runs alone purely because I know that I have to be stronger mentally and quiet the voice that wants to quit at mile 3.5 of a 5 mile tempo, even though I’m physically running just fine.  Tempo runs really do build quite a bit of running character and strength.  They build some great mental toughness.  A different kind of tough than you would get from a type of speed workout.  If you’re not sure where to start, just start small and slowly build from there.  The nice thing about picking up running so much later in life is that I can vividly remember my running beginnings….and that a 4 mile, 6:40 pace tempo at the beginning of 2 summers ago was a huge struggle.  Stay in the mile, stay in the moment and leave everything else out of your run, other than the task at hand.  The more you practice, the more comfortable you get and the more familiar you get with the hard stuff…and it always remains hard stuff.

14 weeks to go…

Thanks for reading!

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