tempo

This morning, I decided to do a 3 mile run. The run consisted of 3 parts. These parts are hills, tempo runs, and medium to high cruising runs. I started out by running down the hill from our driveway, right into a medium cruising run. Then on the next street, I did a short tempo run. After crossing the next street after that I did another tempo run but at full power followed by a short walk and then another tempo up a hill but not at full power. Then I crossed the bridge and ran down and did some cruising.

Today, my first run of this week was suppose to be a 6 mile run, or at least that was what it started out to be. I had everything figured in my head as to what route I was going to run. How I would pace my runs at certain areas of the course. Everything was going just fine despite the humidity until about 1.8 miles into the run. At this point, there cars coming one by one, the humidity was getting bad, and I had to stop and wipe my face every couple of minutes. I had slightly over 4 more miles to go dealing with this stuff. Well, it wasn't getting better, just worse.

... the day before your first tempo run of the year, do not "prepare" by attempting to shovel, hammer and sweep clear of snow a 400m running track.

For if you do, then shall thy hamstrings moan and thy sinews even of the back be unto dire stiffness.

Well, it seemed like a simple enough task at the time. The venue for our regular assessment run was under snow, so we met to clear it. Here is coach Bobby McGee, one of the most over-qualified manual labourers you have seen, doing the pioneer/pathfinding role and scraping snow and ice away from the markings on the first lane, so we can keep a sense of direction. Here is Marci, the organizing genius of Bobby McGee's Endurance Sports, on her hands and knees with a HAMMER, breaking up ice so that I, yes big and beefy as I am (not) with hands calloused and hardened by years using a keyboard, could swing the shovel and blast a way through the pack ice.