Tempo run yesterday?

I've been thinking about my run yesterday, and I think it was likely a tempo run. I normally take two steps per breath, two steps in and two steps out. Yesterday, during my 2nd and 3rd laps, I was taking one step per breath for almost the whole mile. I have a very large chest, and I assume that means I have a large lung-capacity. My 40-year-old son and I were comparing our chests one day, and mine is twice as thick as his. My normal running cadence is about 180, but my cadence during the run, hence the number of breaths per minute, was probably close to 190. I was taking deep breaths, and I used lots of oxygen.

I've been hoping that the adrenaline factor of the race plus a 25 degree (F) lower temperature during the race would let me run close to a 9 minute pace during the 5K race in two weeks. However, based on yesterdays results, those factors may just help me continue a 9:30 pace for the full 3.1 miles instead of for 1 mile. We'll see.

Too bad I didn't have my heart rate monitor on yesterday. It would be interesting to see how high my heart rate went. Maybe I need to trade my Garmin 101 for a 301 :)

Well, back to bed. I woke up from my sleep thinking about this...

My 3rd simuation of a 5K

I have a busy schedule tomorrow, so I did today my last run for the week. I ran three one-mile laps with a 1/2 mile walk in between plus a one-mile jog/walk at the beginning for a warm up. My laps were as follows.

Mile 1: 9:49
Mile 2: 9:24
Mile 3: 9:36

If I ran those times during a 5K, I would break 30 minutes by approximately 15 seconds. Those lap times are a significant improvement from last week when I ran my 2nd simulation, and that is a good sign. I'm hoping that with more rest and a lower temperature, I can do better than those times.

The temperature was 82 (F) when I started my run. I had eaten a bowl of oatmeal just 1 1/2 hours before the run, but I didn't notice any problem from the food. I took no walking breaks or water during the run, and I felt pretty good. It was late afternoon, around 4 pm, when I ran. My 5K is two weeks from tomorrow morning, September 22.

Another good 5-mile rest run

I felt fine this morning and ran another 5-miles on the parkway. During most of the time I ran about 10:40, but during the last mile I ran 10:25. I was late getting out, and it was hot, but I forgot to check my thermometer for an exact reading.

As expected, an OK tired run

When I reached the 1.75 mile marker, I could tell I was tired, and I turned around and headed back. This gave me a 3.5 mile run instead of the 5 miles I had planned. I'm not surprised that I was tired today since I only had four hours of sleep the night before last night plus an hour nap yesterday afternoon.

The temperature during my run was in the low 80s (F). My wakeup HR was 52, a 4% increase from yesterday. I timed the last half-mile at 11:48, and that pace was typical of the whole run.

A good 5-mile rest run

I ran 5 miles on the Jordan River Parkway and had a great run. I was late going out, and the shade temperature was in the mid to high 80s (F). I felt good during the run. While going out, I ran at approximately 12 minutes/mile, and coming back I ran about 11:40 minutes/mile. My wakeup HR was 49, but I only had 4 hours sleep last night. I expect that that lack of sleep will affect my running tomorrow or Wednesday.

My game-plan for the next three weeks

My next 5K is on September 22, three weeks from today.

My runs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week will be recovery/LSD runs, and I'll let my body determine my pace. Then two days of rest, and on Saturday evening my last simulation of a 5K. Then I have two weeks of recovery/LSD/taper, with my body dictating my pace, and then the race. I hope to be better rested for this 5K than I was for the one on June 30.

On September 15, we're having a special birthday brunch for the birthday of my mother-in-law, Berg. About 120 people have been invited. We're hoping to interview several people who grew up with Berg and videotape the interviews and make a special DVD on Memories of Mor Mor or some such title. Mor Mor is Norwegian for mother's mother, and everyone, related or not, calls Berg Mor Mor. Because of these interviews and the subsequent editing, I may not make some of my runs during the next two weeks.