Today I had an off kind of day. I am not sure why, but I was embracing my inner Eeyore, a character I truly feel is misunderstood.

Tempo Run

I spent some time learning about tempo runs, but I didn’t actually do mine today! I think I need to rethink putting 6 miles back to back on my schedule if I want to do my best. I felt very sluggish and tired today,  so I did a simple 5 mile run instead and will do my tempo run tomorrow.

 Some people asked if I could share my findings on tempo runs and the answer is, “Of course!” That’s what I’m here for.

My source is this article from Runner’s World.

Why?

“Tempo running improves …. metabolic fitness …. [by] teaching the body to use oxygen for metabolism more efficiently. How? By increasing your lactate threshold (LT), or the point at which the body fatigues at a certain pace. During tempo runs, lactate and hydrogen ions–by-products of metabolism–are released into the muscles. The ions make the muscles acidic, eventually leading to fatigue. The better trained you become, the higher you push your "threshold," meaning your muscles become better at using these byproducts. The result is less-acidic muscles (that is, muscles that haven’t reached their new "threshold"), so they keep on contracting, letting you run farther and faster.”

Pace?

Comfortably Hard.

“The Right Rhythm
To ensure you’re doing tempo workouts at the right pace, use one of these four methods to gauge your intensity.
Recent Race: Add 30 to 40 seconds to your current 5-K pace or 15 to 20 seconds to your 10-K pace
Heart Rate: 85 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate
Perceived Exertion: An 8 on a 1-to-10 scale (a comfortable effort would be a 5; racing would be close to a 10)
Talk Test: A question like "Pace okay?" should be possible, but conversation won’t be.”

How long?

“Typically, 20 minutes is sufficient, or two to three miles if your goal is general fitness or a 5-K. Runners tackling longer distances should do longer tempo runs during their peak training weeks: four to six miles for the 10-K, six to eight for the half-marathon, and eight to 10 for 26.2.”

I also found this interesting article from Runner’s World giving a couple different variations on the tempo run. I am going to start with the “traditional” version tomorrow.

Now, this is all very interesting to me for several reasons.

• As a recreational runner I feel like I always run as fast as I can until I need to stop, which is usually between 5 and 7 miles per run. But, I never get any better. I’ve been running the same way for the last 3 years or so. It’s time to step it up!
• As a first time half marathoner, I feel like I need to adjust this mindset a little if I want to be able to last for 13 miles. Just like with speedwork, I feel like tempo runs will help me improve as a runner.
• I am not quite sure how to perceive my own effort. It’s all hard when I run!

So, I have a couple of questions before I attempt my first tempo run.

(1)  How do you perceive how hard you are working when you exercise?

(2) If you’re a runner, what is your understanding of a tempo run?

Snacks and Dinner

When I got home I got a RAW present – my Raw Revolution bars from a contest I won at Mom on the Run. Thanks Sarah!

Awesome timing! The end of the Raw Challenge is fast approaching and my dedication has been waning.

As you can see I quickly tore into the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor. In style, this bar is like a larabar, but with large, chunky, sharp pieces of nuts. Taste wise, it was quite chocolatey. I was pleasantly surprised, but calling it “cookie dough” is a bit of a stretch. How about just “Chocolate Nut.” I don’t like it when bars have enticing names that don’t match the taste. It was a little small for 200 calories, but it kept me full for a solid two hours.

For dinner I was needing some macaroni. Carbohydrates are something I could never give up. Well, never say never, but I would miss them.

• I sautéed some zucchini, squash, sundried tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.
• I cooked the pasta.
• And added garbanzo beans and Parmesan cheese. And garlic powder for extra stink.

That’s it for me today. I hope tomorrow I am more Pooh than Eeyore! Speaking of tomorrow, please stay tuned for a juciy giveaway!!!!

The food portion of tonight’s post is going to be short because I am grumpy about it. I attempted to make raw “rice” and it did not work. I blame myself, so I will not do a disservice to the recipe and cookbook by mentioning it by name. I made one fatal error: at the store I knew that I wanted to make this, but did a terrible job of remembering the ingredients. This meant I came home with Yellow Squash, not Butternut Squash. I tried to fix this by adding sweet potato. Just thinking about it makes me ill. What I thought was beyond saving, Mark found “not bad,” actually ate and now, won’t let me throw away. I can’t bring myself to even show a picture.

I turned to hummus, pitas and salad w/ grapes, sprouts and almonds, cucumbers, spinach and tomatoes.

Not satisfied I found comfort in a Chocolate Chip Clif Bar that I bought for Mark.

This was only my third or so Clif Bar. Hello – these are awesome. It was like eating cookie dough. It made me slightly happier, but I was only satisfied after eating some of Mark’s California Pizza Kitchen Pizza. Not my proudest moments, but I was hungry all day long. Perhaps it’s my super athlete training.

My First Speedwork Session

I am using my own training schedule that I made based on Hal Higdon’s Novice and Intermediate Half Marathon Training Schedule. Speedwork is part of his Intermediate schedule, but not part of the Novice one. A couple people seemed interested finding out more about speedwork, so here is what Hal Higdon has to say:

Speedwork:If you want to run at a fast pace, you need to train at a fast pace several days a week. This training schedule for Intermediate runners alternates interval running with Tempo Runs. An interval workout usually consists of fast repeats separated by walking or jogging. The program begins with 5 x 400 meters in the first week and adds one more 400 every other week to reach 10 x 400 meters the week before your half marathon. Walk or jog between each repeat. The best place to run 400-meter repeats is on a track, although you can also use an accurately-measured road course. Run the 400s at about your pace for 5-K, or 10-K.

Unless I find an indoor track, my speedwork for right now takes place on a treadmill. Today I did Caitlin’s 5K Speedwork Plan as follows:

• Four minute warm-up at 6.4 mph.
• 2 minutes at 7.0 mph.
• 1 minute at 6.8 mph.
• 2 minutes at 7.3 mph.
• 1 minute 6.8 mph.
• 2 minutes at 7.5 mph.
• 1 minute 6.8 mph.
• 2 minutes at 7.7 mph.
• Repeat the 1 min. 6.8/ 2 minutes 7.7 for remaining time to 3.1 miles.

Including the four minute warm-up, it took 29:26.

It was hard. By the end, I definitely did not want to do anymore 2 minute spurts, but because they were short, it wasn’t that bad. The 1 minute recovery at a slower pace was quite perfect actually.  I am looking forward to improving and I think I’ll take some advice and extend the warm-up and cool down.

Pros:

• Done quickly.
• Feel pretty bad ass during the run.
• Getting faster is important to me. I think it will help me run better outside.
• Entertaining.

Cons:

• Over fast – feeling of not doing enough.
• Really need to focus -  I like zoning out on runs, but this requires me to pay attention to time, which is something I like to ignore on the treadmill.

At home I did a 20 minute yogadownload – Power Vinyassa #3. Yoga makes a wonderful post-run stretch. Recently though, I’ve had a pinch in my lower back during reversed side angle. I am not sure why, but I need to pay more attention to that.

Well, I need to finish Lost. See ya later alligators!