Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The Wednesday Tempo Run

Well, I didn't make it to yoga last night. Bo reminded me that I was to be playing baseball in the backyard with him this evening, so yoga dropped off the priority list. He is getting better, he's almost 5 and can taste his first T-ball season coming up next year. We played and practiced until we could no longer see because of the dark. Then he rode his bike along side as I walked Wrigley up and down the neighborhood for some exercise. Wrigley is our almost 1 year old Cocker Spaniel, and I am considering getting him out to run with me soon.

Anyways, even though I missed yoga, I did stretch on my own...trying desperately to rid myself of the soreness the lunges created. I knew the 5 mile tempo run would be rough at 5:30 a.m. if I was still pretty sore.

5:10 a.m. : beep...beep...beep...beep

My legs(as I roll over) : No Way. Nope. No freakin' chance. Don't even think about making me carry you for 5 miles at this hour at that ridiculous pace you were talking about last night. I HURT. You got that? YOU chose the lunges Monday night...not me...it was your choice. Now you figure something out.

Me: Ohhhh my...this is not good. It's 5 miles at MT...that would be 8:06/mile. They aren't going to do that right now. Not even close. Hmmm...let's see...if I go back to sleep...maybe, just maybe they'll cooperate at lunch today. I could do that. Yes, that's what I will do.

So I turned off the alarm, slept until 7:00 a.m., got Bo off to preschool, myself to work, and tried again at lunch. My legs were still sore, but not like this morning. I stretched, took a deep breath and set out for the 5 miles.

Mile 1 - I felt stiff, very stiff. Split: 8:25 Avg heart rate:156 My thoughts: oh boy...I need to speed up...can I do that?

Mile 2 - Still a little stiff, trying to find a groove. Split: 8:27 Avg heart rate:172 My thoughts: Ouch...I didn't speed up any...I thought I did...try again

Mile 3 - Not as stiff anymore, not feeling the soreness, finally finding a groove. Split: 8:21 Avg heart rate:175 My thoughts: Better. Atleast you sped up that time. You're over half way, you're gonna make it. Kick it, and see what you can do.

Mile 4 - Found the groove, feeling better and more confident. Split: 8:10 Avg heart rate:178 My thoughts: Much better. You were just 4 seconds shy of the target. Close enough...hold steady...you're almost there.

Mile 5 - Held steady, even uphill, finished fairly strong. Split: 8:11 Avg heart rate:181 My thoughts: Whew...glad it's over...It wasn't on target, but it was better than a I thought I would do.

5 miles: 41:37 Pace: 8:19/mile Avg Heart Rate: 172 bpm Max Heart Rate: 185 bpm


8 comments:

Bridgette said...

To me, it's really hard to keep going when my legs hurt at the beginning - at least when I'm alone. You rock!

Michele said...

great job.
Those are some impressive splits.
You smoked me AGAIN!!!! At least I didn't have to watch your back today.

Taconite Boy said...

Tempo runs at 5 am....Yeah that's why we all got into this crazy sport????

Good job!

Phil said...

So this is what you do during lunch! Impressive run and very impressive HR.

Try a slow 2 mile warm up next time you set up for a tempo run. This will help you get focused for the faster pace laying ahead and your legs won't feel heavy on the first couple of miles. You'll just cruise along from the first step.

Again ... impressive.

LeahC said...

nicely done. I think it was smart to move it to lunch time. I have gotten better at listening to my body and usually when I let it heal up a little I do better. :-)

:) said...

Great job getting it done. I did squats and the like on Monday and I and STILL sore...

ouch

Papa Louie said...

You should feel good about finishing stronger after a few miles warmming up. I'll run the same workout today. I'm in my taper weeks.
Beginnertriathlete is a comprehensive traing web log with lots of extra things for athletes to use and learn from. my username is tibibacsi if you want to check my log and see what they offer.

Rice said...

LOL.. Thats to funny, having your legs yelling at you.. I love it..

cheers.

Rice.