Met MAT at the track today. Michelle and Tom have a race Saturday so they did some pick-ups. Amber has been fighting an injury; she took it easy. There was a fierce S.F. wind today...especially toward the end of the workout. I don't think I'll ever get use to it. Brrr!
Warmed up for 25 minutes and then attempted a tempo run trying to hit all my quarters/laps evenly. Didn't count laps in my head and had a hard time telling which lap I was on with my watch.
Ended up doing a few more tempo miles...for a couple reasons. First, in getting my splits to be somewhat even, I was a lot slower than I had originally planned on being (1:37 quarters is what Sasha suggested I shoot for). Second, this was a comfortable pace and it felt like I could have gone many more miles than I did. From running the Uneventful-half in Provo, I can assume that another 6 or so, at this pace, is when I would start to tire.
The track wasn't as bad as I had remembered! As a child, going in circles with my mom was about as boring as it got. I'm glad it ended up being a positive experience. I am certain it helped to have friends there with me. Next time I'll work on making my splits faster (and once again more even).
#1 1:47
#2 1:46
#3 1:50
#4 1:50
1st mile 7:13
#1 1:50
#2 1:45
#3 1:47
#4 1:47
2nd mile 7:09
#1 1:47
#2 1:48
#3 1:51
#4 1:48
3rd mile 7:14
#1 1:48
#2 1:49
#3 1:48
#4 1:47
4th mile 7:12
#1 1:47
#2 1:46
#3 1:45
#4 1:47
5th mile 7:05
#1 1:48
#2 1:48
#3 1:47
#4 1:49
6th mile 7:12
#1 1:46
#2 1:46
#3 1:49
#4 1:29 (Picked it up one last lap. I thought that I had already run my last quarter for the final mile and that this quarter was a bonus. I was mistaken.)
7th mile 7:00
Cool down just short of a mile, with Amber, on the track. I wasn't too interested in running home with a head-wind the entire way; Amber was nice enough to offer a ride. Thank you Amber!
Time: 1:27
Suggestions from Sasha: Tempos should not be comfortable at all. They are not all out, but you should push them and feel a bit scared about having to keep it for a while. Next time, hit the first lap in 1:37. Then the next one, and so on. Keep them at 1:37 for as long as you can. When you cannot, stop. Also, 6 miles is too long, especially if you are struggling hitting the right pace. I would say 2 miles at 6:28 pace right now would do more for you than 6 at 7:00 - 7:10. Also, try not to do those alone if possible, get Tom or Michelle to pace you, and absolutely do not let them gap you at any point. In fact, if this helps, make a rule that if they challenge you to a high five and you fail in the next 20 seconds, your tempo ends right there. Jog, recover, then try again. | 