One thing missing from my workouts since moving to Richmond has been speed/tempo runs. Much of that is due to the move - I went from group workouts once a week that took care of that to running solo all the time. I know Richmond has many group runs, and I look forward to that, but I haven't had the time to join one yet. Evenings have been spent trying to get settled in and I just haven't had the energy to get up earlier in the mornings. Today, though, I decided I'd do a 6-mile run with the two middle miles under an 8 minute pace.
The first two warmup miles felt good. I hit those two miles in 18:22. I headed over to Huguenot Park for the two-mile tempo run. Everything seemed to start OK, but it had been a while since I've pushed myself. I did the two miles in 16:04, just over 8 minutes a mile. Had this been a year ago, I would have been pleased. But instead I was pissed that I didn't do better. I know these past few weeks have been rough, but I know I can do much better. So instead of a final "easy" two miles, I did a very easy half-mile jog, then ran an all-out mad-at-myself mile in 7:23. That's probably the fastest mile I've ever done by myself. It felt great and it helped me realize that I don't need to pay to run with a group to run that hard. The next seven Wednesdays I am planning some sort of tempo run to get ready for Nov. 10. I'm determined to not let this lack of daylight in the morning get in my way.
2023 Races Recap
4 months ago
2 comments:
i like the idea of get mad run faster. i think i am going to try that. lol! i dont currently time myself, right now i am just trying to log miles. however, i do need to update my mp3 with some better music and start the stopwatch on my watch when i get out there. time to kick it up a notch! keep running. You can do it! have a great week. LJ at itstimetorun.
Hey, one question: How do you time your splits when you're out running in a park where the miles aren't marked? That's the hardest thing for me about tempo runs and speedwork, I usually end up on the track, which is boring and flat.
Also, I recently bought this program off iTunes called "Serena Williams Interval Workout." It is a 30-min playlist that is pre-mixed with Serena telling you when to pick it up and sort of yelling at you like a coach. I liked it, and it helped me to get going on my own. However, Bill has pointed out that he likes the workout, but hates the music (a lot of Timbaland, Fergie, etc., sort of dance-club stuff). It's totally different from what I usually listen to running (country), but a lot faster and helped me to pick up the pace. I'd recommend it if you are looking for something to help mix things up. I either do it on short-mileage days or do it and then go onto another playlist to get more miles.
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