Tempo Run

Last night I did my first tempo run of this training cycle. I ran nine miles total, including four miles at tempo pace, which for me is 6:40/mile. The first two tempo miles were run into the wind and were especially tough. After the turnaround, it was a bit easier. It was a good workout. If I were smarter, I probably would have run by effort, rather than pace.

I hadn’t run faster than 7:00 minute/mile pace in a long time, so I wasn’t sure how I’d handle last night’s workout. Overall, I’m pleased with my effort. Even after a week, I'm on a high from starting a training plan. Before I started with this plan, I basically just set a mile limit for the week and for the long run and ran how I felt as long as I reached the goal. I really think I do better with a structured plan. I'm able to regiment my sleep and eating habits to prepare myself to run. I feel dedicated and motivated to complete this plan and am confident that I’ll do well in my marathon.

I continue to battle GI/bathroom problems during my runs. Yesterday I went to the bathroom just before running. I followed my usual route, which brings me back past my house after a half mile or so in case I have to go again. I felt okay yesterday, so I kept running. Approximately two miles into my run, I suddenly had to go really bad. I ended up having to walk back to the house (approximately 2/3 of a mile) and then had a rather long bathroom break. So really I ended up with two runs yesterday with a 30-minute break in between. However, the tempo run did not get interrupted, so I feel like I got my full workout.

Medium long run tomorrow.