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November 11, 2004
Thursday Tempo Run
Today my charge: Tempo Run
I decided to minimize my running for the day and only run the workout.
(Originally I was planning on getting up early--going to the track to do the workout--and then running with the team in the afternoon...)
So--while the high school girls xc team ran an easy 4 miles around crown road/ hoo koo ko...i ran up and down crown road (2.78 miles one way--then turned around and ran back.) The original workout called for 20 minutes @ tempo pace, 10 minute jog, 20 minutes tempo pace... Since I didn't have enough time to do the exact workout...I ran the first 2.78 miles at tempo. Then I turned around and continued running back at a slower pace for 10 minutes ( I didn't jog this part...but I certainly didn't race/tempo this section either)...and then I ran the last...8 + minutes back at tempo pace!
It rained almost the entire day. We got lucky though--the sun showed up and made an appearance around 2:30...which was perfect timing. We left for the workout around 3:15---the sun was still out...though by this time...the storm clouds were beginning to roll in again...
Around 3:30 we arrived at the trailhead---7 of us (all girls) stretched and got ready for our run. The team (6 runners) took off first...I thought It would be fun to give them a few minutes head start and try to catch them... ! I took off...after them...The weather was cool and the air was crisp. I felt pretty good... It was hard to tell what my pace was...but I felt like i was running controlled and not all out. At the gate (the end of the 2.78 mile fire road /trail) I stopped my watch and I averaged 6:21 for the first 2.78 miles.
I then turned around and kept running...slower..probably 7:15/7:30 pace or so (?)-- and after 10 minutes I picked up the pace again and finished the last 8 to 9 minutes at tempo pace! (18:56 for the 2nd 2.78 miles) As soon as I started running fast again...the rain drops started falling. I was actually happy to be running along side the rain drops...it felt refreshing...by this time..I was getting pretty warm (I had overdressed a bit)...so the cool drops of rain felt great. As I was approaching the finish...4 of the girls on my team...met me with 150 meters to go...and helped "pull" / "stride" / "race" me in! It was a really fun way to end a solid workout.
Running up on Crown Road for the workout was great. The surface was soft, the turns (tons of them) kept things interesting...(you never know when exactly the trail ends...all t he turns...seem to scream.."LAST ONE"....), the canyon down below was filling with fog the entire run...so it was fun to keep an eye on that..., and of course..the steady stream of dog walkers, runners and recreational outdoor enthusiasts "walkers" constantly kept me in touch with the end (the end must be near---if there are this many walkers on the trail...right?)...
Tomorrow will be a very easy day. Saturday I'll take the day off and Sunday I'll run the Clarksburg 30k race as a workout (a marathon workout!). We'll see...
More later
Posted by liz at November 11, 2004 05:00 PM
Comments
Liz, Awesome tempo today at Crown Road. Your description made me so lonely for the nice windy flat foggy trail! It is a great place to do a tempo run. You seemed smooth and relaxed on the trail. I hope you are looking forward to Clarksburg. It is a great place to run a decent time - remember to stay in the middle of the road and take water when you can to stay hydrated. I hope you get nice cool weather. If you are in "the zone" the race will go by really quickly and I am sure you will negative split! I will be thinking of you. More soon...Keep up the great work.
Posted by: Mary at November 11, 2004 07:28 PM
Good luck in the race tomorrow. I hope you have fun!
Posted by: Alison at November 13, 2004 01:23 PM