Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tempo Run Wednesday, September 12, 2012

So I really don't understand how Hal wants these tempo runs done.  Here is the entry I wrote last year after I ran my first ever tempo run.  Since then, I guess I am still as confused as ever.  Here is what Hal writes: Here's how to do this workout. A tempo run of 30 to 40 minutes would begin with 10-15 minutes easy running, build to peak speed during the next 10-20 minutes, then finish with 5-10 minutes easy running. The pace buildup should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout and only for those few minutes mentioned above. 

I decided to just try for a run faster than a pace run.  That makes sense, right?  His way seems like the overall pace would be too slow for a tempo run.  And I haven't raced in awhile, so I need some more speed than a mere 20 minutes (especially since you are supposed to build to a peak speed within that time and not maintain one speed).  I wasn't interested 15 or so minutes of easy running in the beginning or 10 or so minutes at the end either, though I guess it depends on your definition of "easy."  I guess I will say that I looked at the program and knew I could do a faster run today and be fine.  So I did.

I averaged 7:03 for 6.5 miles.  I was at or near a 10K pace for the recommended 20 minutes (a little over that actually--miles 3-5).  This was a nice little workout, though maybe not what Hal had intended it to be.


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