Speedwork, Take 1

OK, so those of you who know me realize that I tend to do all of my runs at basically the same pace. I do not run slow but I don't run super fast. I like to just get out and GO. But I must admit that part of me has been wondering recently if I should actually include some speedwork into my training plan for the summer. I can't seem to make up my mind about my late fall racing plans, but in the meantime, I'll be running the Bradbury races and also planning to run Erik's Old Port Half Marathon. I'd really like to have a solid summer of racing, and would like to end up with a good half marathon time, which means I need to remember how to run a bit faster on the roads if that is going to take place! So, with that in mind, I looked over a few different marathon and half marathon plans, and *gasp* actually penciled some speedwork into my calendar. Starting with today's run.

Of course, I can't not tinker with a plan, so although my notes said to do 3 x 1 mile at 5k to 10k pace, I actually ended up doing a tempo run with three miles in the middle. I didn't want to go to the track and run round and round the oval, and I really didn't have time for that this morning anyway. A tempo run where I could run right from home seemed much more manageable. So, I looked at the McMillan Running Calculator to see what a reasonable tempo pace might be. 7:30s seemed about right, so that is what I decided to shoot for.

I headed out over the powerlines to Highland Green Road. When the Garmin beeped at the mile marker, soon after I hit the pavement, I picked up the pace. The problem was that I was on a rolling road, heading into the wind, and I am no good at pacing. Ah well, I just ran at a slightly uncomfortably hard pace, peeking at the lap pace now and again to make sure it was reading something reasonable. By the end of the third tempo mile, I was feeling the effort, and I was more than happy to hear the Garmin beep, meaning I could slow down a bit and catch my breath during the final mile home! Anyway, I am pretty happy with how today's effort turned out, especially given that I was winging it to a certain extent. My splits for the 5 mile loop ended up being: 8:40; 7:35; 7:26; 7:23; 8:13.

Whew, speedwork is hard! :-)