Tempo, and some junk

It wasn't exactly my goal for today, but somehow I ended up doing a 20 minute tempo run! I started out running a little faster than normal (or, more likely, my usual first mile pace...not the sluggish 10 min/mi I've been putting in lately). I decided to venture "out of the compound" and hit the streets. It was D-A-R-K! I think my swiftness was attributed to the fact that I just wanted to get off the pitch black road onto the (somewhat) safer sidewalk. By then, 1/2 mile into my run, it was too late to slow down and I just kept going! Hey, I can turn this into a tempo run! So I did.

Twenty minutes and 2.5 miles later I was almost exactly back where I started and dying for water. Then, I felt as though my lungs might collapse. Any hopes of doing another lap were quickly crushed as I envisioned myself falling down on the street somewhere far away from home. I did laps around the parking lot instead.

Okay, so those last 5 miles were "junk" miles, in that the 20 minute tempo was true training and the other 5 miles were just to pad my weekly total to get it up to where I want it. So what???? Another 5 miles means another 40-50 minutes that I get to spend in the fresh air, exercising, clearing my head and enjoying the only time I truly do enjoy being alone.


10/12/05

TEMPO RUN:

Run time: 00:20:02

Distance: 2:21 miles

Avg. Pace: 09:03 / mi (1st lap: 9:33; 2nd lap: 8:40; 3rd lap: 8:19)
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5-MILE RUN:

Run time: 00:52:49

Distance: 5.01 miles

Avg. Pace: 10:32 / mi

Best Pace: 7:36 / mi
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TOTAL: 7.22 miles