Week 4 - Key Run Workout #2

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Tough run tonight! The plan called for an easy mile, followed by 4 miles @ MT pace (Medium Tempo), with an easy mile to finish. My current MT pace is 6:23 per mile (based on a 5k time of 18:00) - slightly quicker than the Long Tempo workouts from previous weeks.

Anyway, I went into the workout feeling slightly tired, with legs still a bit stiff from Tuesday’s 5k race. My hydration level was fine though and I decided to carry two small flasks of water in case I needed it during the fast 4 miles.

As usual the first mile was easy, so I took the opportunity to focus on shaking the stiffness out of my legs. Just as they were beginning to loosen up, my Garmin beeped to let me know I should speed up to the 6:23 pace. It was a struggle to get down to 6:30 pace let alone 6:23 per mile, so the Garmin kept beeping and I kept trying to get faster. Eventually, maybe a half mile in to the 4 miles, the Garmin signaled I was “in the desired zone”. Now I just had to keep it there.

The heat was oppressive, but at least there was a nice breeze blowing which kind of helped keep me cool. My pace fluctuated between 6:30 and 6:32 per mile average pace - almost 10 seconds slower than I needed to run, but I kept reminding myself of the heat and the expected slower speeds.

With about a mile to go, I made my way back to the local high school track where I planned on finishing up the workout. The rubberized track was a welcome change from the bumpy grass I’d been running on, and I was able to quicken my pace ever so slightly. With each lap of the track I ran a little faster with my heart rate steadily climbing until it maxed at 172 beats per minute. Finally the Garmin signaled the end of the 4 miles at MT Pace which I’d averaged in 6:26 per mile pace - not too bad at all considering the temperature.

The easy cool down mile wasn’t too easy, but I took the chance to take in plenty of fluids to rehydrate. As I drove home, air conditioning blowing at full blast, it was nice to reflect on a positive mid-week workout. Now I get to look forward to the weekend’s 20 miler which I’ll probably run on Sunday morning. Should be another tough one