Longer Tempos

I've always been a strong proponent of speed work, as I really believe that getting your body used to running really fast will make less fast speeds seem easy. It has a lot to do with mental training.

In that same vein, I decided that my "3 mile tempo" workout (the standard workout I've always used) may not be serving the same idea. I decided if I run 5 mile tempos, then 3 mile 5Ks will seem like a short distance. Again, mental training. So I've been trying to increase the length of my tempo runs and have been very happy with it.

It also feel less mentally daunting to start out on a 4-5 mile tempo run because I know I can pace myself -- where with 3 miles, I really feel like I need to start running almost full tilt from the beginning.

Above all, I believe running often is the most effective. I think that is how the body best adapts itself to running more efficiently. In my mind, VO2Max (oxygen consumption) is nice, but if your body is slogging along with extra unnecessary movements and a momentum braking stride, you will wear out quickly no matter how good your lungs are.

One Way Run

I did a 7 mile run into town over the weekend and it went pretty well. One thing that was really nice is that my wife was going to be driving by and picked me up. There is something refreshing about running and knowing you won't have to run back to where you started. I managed to keep my pace around 7:00-7:30 for the first part, and let it slow down to around 8:00-8:30 for the last half.

Trying to ramp up

With the notable weather improvement, I tried to start doing some faster training runs. I feel like I was able to maintain regular workouts often enough during the cold winter to sustain and hopefully build up overall fitness.

I ran a 3 mile tempo run yesterday, averaging a 6:30 pace (19:33 time). I think that's the fastest 3 miles I've run, not counting actual races. We also ramped up the millage today and went 6 miles. I'd like to eventually fit in an 8-10 mile run each week just to build up more endurance.

Short weather.

Wow! It got in the upper 30 degrees here and I decided to celebrate by running in shorts. It felt really nice to have this little taste of leg freedom so I went 6 miles. I got some really funny looks as I barreled down the road, bare legs contrasting (or maybe not so contrasting) against the white snow. A few guys on snowmobiles in full snow gear drove by me and also seemed very startled by my appearance. I feel I should point out that I live in a relatively rural area. So, for most of these good folks, seeing a grown man running for the sake of exercise (let alone at a fast racing speed) seems very frivolous. A few of them might even think the word "cardio" means the radio that sits in the dashboard of your Chevy. Ba Boom *ching* (I just made that one up).

Anyhow, it's back down to single digit temps and I'm back in all my cold weather clothes. I'm extremely grateful for the low temp gear, but can't wait until I can pack it away for 6 or 7 months.