Training Update, cont.

After yesterday's build-up, I thought I should share the results of my tempo run. In short, it was successful. Mostly.

I had planned to do ten miles, but was not sure exactly what the breakdown would be. My tempo runs typically involve easy segments at the beginning and end with a faster segment sandwiched in the middle. This time, I decided to try for a somewhat aggressive goal of six hard miles in the middle of four easy miles. Ed was dubious as I headed out, and to be honest I was a bit as well. But my whole training plan is aggressive, and my goal time for the marathon is ambitious. I figure that I'll do the best I can, and even if I don't make my goal, I'll end up in pretty good shape in the end. Better to try for something just out of reach than to water down one's expectations and set goals that are certainly attainable.

It was humid as I set out, and I'd already worked up a decent sweat by the time my initial easy two miles were up. But then I picked up the pace, and once my body got into the faster rhythm, I felt great! Two miles of it melted away. By the third mile, however, I was having to work a little harder to maintain my desired pace, and I felt more exhausted with every step. I didn't want to quit, but at the same time knew that if I kept it up, I'd end up with increasingly slower miles until I'd reached a crawl by the end. This was hardly the kind of workout I wanted to put in. So instead, I opted to split the hard miles in a way that would, I hoped, allow me to do all six pretty fast. In the end, I ran two easy miles, four hard miles, one easy mile, two hard miles, and finished with one more easy mile. I still accomplished my goal of running ten total and six hard, but I wasn't able to do it all at once. I was proud of my pace, however. The last two hard miles were, well, hard, but I managed to keep my pace hovering right around where I wanted it up until the end. Getting home never felt so good. I collapsed in front of a fan and weakly requested chocolate milk, my recovery beverage of choice, and regaled Ed with tales of my feat while I slowly cooled off.

This morning, I did four easy miles on very tired legs that took ages to warm up. Still training on tired legs is valuable, as it will help me prepare for the same sensation in the marathon. And I have almost 24 hours to rest before tomorrow's intervals, which should also leave me tired, but in a different way. And on Saturday morning, I'll set off for my distance run, which will be anywhere between 18 and 20 miles - preferably closer to the latter.

More disappointing training days surely lie between me and November 3rd. But here's hoping that runs like the one last night outnumber them.