Tempo Thursday

Happy Thursday! For whatever reason, I keep thinking it is Friday. Wishful thinking, I know. Yesterday morning I had a tempo run on my schedule. My alarm went off at 5am as usual, and I lay there deciding if I was getting up. I had a headache and the thought of a tempo run in the rain just made me want to hide. So I stayed in my nice dry bed instead. No problem, Thursday is normally my planned cross training day and off day for running. I'll just switch. Well, the cross training didn't happen. My headache turned into "that time of the month". Does watching movies with a hot pack on my stomach, and an ice pack on my head count as cross training? It takes coordination!

This morning I was determined to knock out my tempo run. I have been struggling with my ability to keep the pace, and I needed a confidence booster! I did my warm up and started my tempo, goal pace 8:30.

Mile 1 9:02 oops-way slow. Wake up legs!
Mile 2 7:48 Not that much!
Mile 3 7:52
Mile 4 8:36 going out too fast catching up with me!
Mile 5 8:12 Got a break during a red light, so that helped
Mile 6 9:09 Half was at cool down pace

Wow, I really need to work on keeping a consistent pace. I felt all over the place. I would feel myself slowing down, then speed up and try to make up for it. I knew the basic locations of my mile markers, but I don't really have a way to check my pace aside from feel. I guess that is a big part of tempo runs, getting used to the feel of the pace! (I still want a Garmin)

Today it felt not great. It felt hard, not only in physical effort, but to keep my mind to put up with the effort! Everything in me wanted to just do an easy run. During mile 4 when I wanted to slow down and walk, I thought-I really don't want to blog that I walked!

I was so relieved to be done. Got home, showered, dressed myself and kids, took one to kinder, took another to preschool, checked the third in childcare, and went to workout number 2. My normal cross training for Thursdays is the workout class at the preschool. Now it probably would have been smart to skip, but I knew it was the core strength class, which I really need! I do core at home but it ends up being 10 minutes here or there. This was a solid hour of core, arm and leg strength. I'm feeling a little like gumby this afternoon.

Miles for today: 6.4
Miles for 2010: 86.0