Friday, August 6, 2010

Tempo Run (?)

I don’t know the last time I completed a tempo run. Maybe back in February while training for the L.A. Marathon? Well, whenever it was, that streak is still intact, because while a tempo run was on the schedule yesterday, I didn’t complete it! Yikes!

The plan was a 45 minute tempo. Everything started great – first ten minutes was a nice smooth warm-up. When my Garmin beeped at me, I stepped up the pace a little and had no problem dropping into 10K pace. I shortened my stride as I ascended the two or three small uphill grades. I hit the turnaround at 12:30 into the tempo and ran into it. The wind. The damn on shores. Blowing with all their might. No wonder I was able to switch into and hold 10K pace so easily. Mother Nature was pushing me along! There was going to be no such luck on the way back.

Sure enough. My pace slowed. My lungs started hurting. At 12:00 I had to do it. Stop. Walk. Gather my wits and slow down my heart rate. Two more times in the next 10 minutes I had to slow down. The wind was blowing directly into my face. It was a tough tough 12 and a half minutes minutes.

Final stats on the run – 45 minute tempo run, 4.6 miles total, middle 25 minutes at 9:39 pace (blech). I’m still waiting for that first tempo run since February….

On the diet front:

  • Daily calorie budget: 1762
  • Calories consumed: 2614
  • Exercise burn: 733
  • Net calories: +119

Funny what some ice cream will do. Real funny.

14 comments:

  1. I thought that's how you're supposed to feel after a tempo run! (You know, wanting to throw up, pass out, like you've been dragged down the street, and so on.)

    Awesome.

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  2. Ick. Tempo runs are...HARD. Hence why I hate them so. They'll get easier (ha! tricked you...they never do....).

    And on the sweaty/sloshy front.... you ain't got nothing on me fool. :)

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  3. I agree, if you didn't feel that way, you probably didn't go all out on your tempo run.

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  4. Hi Glenn,
    Good job on the tempo run! I should be doing a few of them too. Lately all of my runs are just normal training..slower paced runs.

    I hope that you have a fabulous weekend Glenn!

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  5. Takes a little time to get back into it, you'll get there. You have an ambitious training schedule.

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  6. Just say no to the ice cream Glenn! Oh, who am I kidding. I can't say no my damn self. LOL!

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  7. As long as your HR was consistent running into the wind as it was while when your pace was faster and not into the wind, than I consider that a success. 900 calories of ice cream? You da man, Glenn. Or not. ;)

    Have a great weekend!

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  8. I bet your HR was still going pretty strong even with slowing down in the wind. Good job out there battling the wind!
    I'm impressed with your calorie tracking! Do you use software or an app for that?

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  9. If it has to be all work and no ice cream, I'll drop out. Just saying... Tempos are supposed to be har, running into the wind is hard, so you just did a swap. It's all good!

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  10. I think your pace was pretty good... well, at least you went for it, part tempo is better than non at all!

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  11. Tempo runs are HARD. I have a tough time doing them. Sometimes I want to sign up for an actual 10K to get me to run that fast.

    Great job!

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  12. it was still a tempo... kinda. the part w/ the wind at your back anyway. a 12min tempo perhaps?

    also, i am a big advocate of "well it was the first one in awhile and into some hurricane wind" excuse.

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  13. My tempo was EXACTLY like this last week. Except mine was reversed. I'm not sure which was better, knowing that you'll have the wind or being surprised when it smacks you in the face.

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