Tempo Run

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 41:22
Pace: 8:16 min/mi

Comments: I didn't check the training plan during the week and totally forgot I added a mile to the tempo run this week. I considered pulling back to the four miles I've been doing but decided to go for it anyway. That turned out to be a good plan.

I cruised through this one the whole way. I kept pushing the pace by focusing on cadence tempo but never found myself laboring too hard. The start was tricky, as usual but it eased into the tempo pace with little difficulty. The points I eased up on the effort were where my concentration wandered a bit. Gotta work on that.

Tempo Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 31:15
Pace: 7:48 min/mi

Comments: Rain run. Not pleasant at all. But the one advantage of a rain run is you are committed to being miserable from the start so you might as well run your ass off.

This was scheduled to be a tempo run so I set out just to push things to what I thought might be my 10K pace. I know this should be my marathon pace but I wanted to push a little bit. I don't plan on running the last few miles of the long run at pace tomorrow.

I finally set up the segments feature in Strava with a half mile either way on the first mile of this course. So now I can gauge my pace to pretty much all my previous runs. This came in right between my half mile intervals and recovery runs.

Tempo Run

Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 32:21
Pace: 8:04 min/mi

Comments: I decided to take an extra off day yesterday. That was partly work related but also out of an abundance of caution. I've felt ragged and my back issue isn't major, but it isn't going away either.

So I was out today running on rested legs for a change. Man, I forgot how fun that really is. The plan was a race pace run in the sub 9:30 range but this one got down to 8:04 overall. That's partly due to opening it up a little on the last mile.

Normally, I'd avoid this kind of effort but it was nice to add a little intensity. I still have the long run tomorrow but it's back at the mileage I've gotten pretty used to.

Tempo Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 33:42
Pace: 8:25 min/mi

Comments: So, yeah, I was still pissed off about the race yesterday. I got up about an hour later than normal and didn't get out to the trail until 8 a.m., pretty much the same time I started the race yesterday.

I wasn't about to do another six miles (or a warm up) but I did want to see how much the weather impacted my effort.The Trinity River Levee Trail has minimal shade so I figured it would be about the same conditions. I started with the intention of putting in a regular training run but kept pushing the pace as I felt I was able.

I basically treated it as a Tempo run, starting with a steady pace and pushing a bit harder each mile. I finished with a better overall pace than the race and feeling a hell of a lot less burnt out. More to the point, my heart rate never got into the higher zones. So, I guess, going out too fast was the real culprit yesterday.

Tempo Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 32:43
Pace: 8:10 min/mi

Comments: The last two runs have been nudging my fastest regular workout pace for the year so I decided to saddle up and see what my legs could do. This wasn't a speed workout as much as an effort to push myself to what we used to call "3/4 race pace."

The first mile turned out to be a warmup mile but I was conscious of not letting it get too comfortable. The route I ran meant the first and last mile had a bit of a hill so I used that to get my heart rate going. Then, for the second and third mile, I just tried to keep the pressure on. Not all out sprint, but not letting my pace ease off either.

The last mile was focusing on keeping the effort going for the uphill and cruising the downhill to make up any time lost. The result; one of my fastest runs in years.

Tempo Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:04
Pace: 8:30 min/mi

Comments: With conditions a tad cooler and less humid I was determined to knock out a good one this morning. I started overfast and made myself focus on foot turnover the first mile, clearing it just under the 9 min/mi mark. Then I opened it up a little.

The next mile was probably a little fast on the front end. I slowed considerably the last quarter but then found my groove. The last two miles were almost identical pace which was precisely what I was aiming for. Yes, knocking one out at a respectable speed is satisfying but the consistency matters far more.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 60%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada