A Marathoner

Tempo runs suck!!! There.  I said it.  You’ve helped me celebrate victories and overcome obstacles.   Tonight was certainly the latter.  However, there is nothing I could or would have done differently.

On tap tonight was, of course, a tempo run.  Specifically, the workout called for 2×5k’s.  The first on less than forgivable terrain … starting at the Daniel Webster Statute in Central Park, up the West Side Drive, up and around Harlem Hill and back thru the 102^nd St. transverse (lots of rolling hills).  That was the 1^st 5k.  After a recovery jog back down the West Side Drive to the 86^th St. entrance to the Reservoir Path for 2 loops for the 2^nd 5k.  In a pre-run pep talk, Coach said the word “challenging” no less than 5 times.  The man was preaching the gospel truth.  How did it go?

I completely blew up on the 2^nd 5K.  Actually, I started to blow up at the end of the 1^st 5K.  I was determined to stay with the group and did so for the 2.5 miles of the 1^st 5K.  The group didn’t accelerate, but I just faded.  I still managed a semi-respectable pace … but according to Coach that pace should have been a half marathon pace.  For me, that would have been 8:17 based on a couple of weeks ago.  If I went out at a 8:17 pace, I would still be running right now.  The “slow” group went out at a 7:20 and my pack of 3 settled into a 7:26.  I wanted to test myself and really keep up.  I succeeded in the former and did okay with the latter.  After the recovery, the 2^nd 5K was a mirror image of the first, where I stayed strong (and with the pack) until the 2-mile mark this time.  At this point, I had nothing left in reserve (without sprinting) and let the pack go … hence the 7:49.  It sucked being alone in the dark … they were probably 100m ahead, but I kept it together.  I definitely improved compared to my first tempo of 2×2 with CPTC a couple weeks ago.  Total mileage tonight of 9.24 miles.

In the final analysis, it was easily the most “challenging” workout I’ve ever experienced.  I’m disappointed in my pace for the 2^nd 5K.  I don’t have a benchmark of what it “should” have been … my existing 5K PR (March 2009) of 7:41 pace is irrelevant now.   Right now, I’m in the midst of recalibrating.  Therefore, forgive my whining as I go thru the ups and downs.  Again, the only bad run is the one you don’t have … this was just a necessary workout on the way to getting better.

Tempo runs really, really suck.