T-E-M-P-O Runs are Hard

On Saturday I tried my first temp run of this training schedule, and to help ensure it went perfectly I was on two days rest as oppose to my normal one day for a pace run. I was to go slow the first 1.5M and then turn it up to a 6:40-6:45 pace for the next 5.5M, then back to my 7:30 pace for my last mile. Well, basically I was a pacing disaster—again.

I nailed my slow 1.5M, then busted out a 6:29, then a 6:44, then (my laps were a bit screwed so this half mile came in the middle and not the beginning) a 3:26 half (slower than pace). Then the wheels come off a bit on the two hardest miles of the course and I plop down a 6:59 and a 6:53 before cranking out a 6:30 mile. Overall my pace was 7:00/M, and my pace during the tempo part was 6:44, just inside my goal. But it was an extremely hard run and I felt like I was crawling at times. Tempo runs are hard.

Then came yesterday’s 17M slow run. And, like every other ‘slow’ run this year, I of course went much faster than my 8:05 to 8:30 pace. But, I’ve been running long enough to know that you take a good run and go with it when everything is coming easy, and that was yesterday’s run. I started out hot and kept it going the entire time, keeping every mile at about the same pace except for two (mile 6 and its hills; and mile 15). I averaged a 7:10/M pace for the entire run. Nice. I then proceeded to devour Girl Scout cookies. Even nicer!