Tempo time again
This morning we had one of my favorite workouts. Lots of people dread it, but the sustained effort of the tempo run is really good for us. Gilbert sent us out on a two-mile warm up, and then we went through the drills. Before long, it was time to go. We lined up, and then we were off.
I ran fast, but I kept things under control. It was really nice to have some light out there for a change. I just focused on being smooth, and before I knew it I was approaching the turnaround point and seeing the leaders coming back. I picked up the pace when I made the turn, and just pressed on. My legs felt good, and I increased my effort again at one mile to go. (That bridge always seems really tall on the way back, for some reason.) I cruised in to a new personal best for this workout in 25:25. My splits were 6:26, 6:26, 6:17, and 6:16. That’s a nice negative split, and with my heart rate not being maxed out, I think this was pretty much perfect!
This is the best I’ve felt after completing this workout that I can remember. I did a couple strides and left feeling totally satisfied.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Y’all passed me on the trail yesterday and I was amazed how all of you make those sub 7 min/mile look so effortless. Awsome job!!
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:02 am
Thank you! I’m sorry I didn’t respond for so long. I was out of town for a week.
I assure you it’s not easy, but I do know that if I focus on being as smooth and graceful as possible I get much better results than when I just try to run fast.
Watch the coverage of the elite runners in the marathon every chance you get. They are running really, really fast, and yet for a lot of the race they look like they are just out for a nice easy run.