Thursday Tempo

I figured that I probably wouldn't have the time to get to the club session tonight and since I'm on a bit of a roll at the moment, I shouldn't let up on the chance to get a decent session in. I decided that running an interval session on my own wasn't very motivating when I don't have a clear objective or training programme to work to at present. I finally settled on a tempo session with the unspoken objective of running at marathon pace around the 10km route.

When I woke up, the day had already begun and it was another beautiful day with a clear blue sky. It was only when I got outside that I realised that the temperature wasn't as warm as I expected - around 6°C. Cool but perfect running weather and I set off at a good pace.

I was feeling better in my legs after Tuesday's intervals and I noticed how several times after a hard sesssion, the tempo runs seem to be easier, more natural. I felt good being out there and enjoyed the speed aswell as the thought that there was still room to push it further. I felt good enough to reconsider my route and to add in an extra 2km around the park in Maisons Laffitte, plus the added luxury of coming back through the forest from the railway line. I only started looking at the Garmin after the 5th kilometre when the lap showed 4:33. I was surprised by this as I felt that I was going a lot faster. The next 2 laps went by in 4:17 and 4:11 so there might have been a glitch on km5 but that just spurred me on to run a little faster.

13.33 km all up in 57:30 or an average of 4:18 per km. Just below marathon pace as an average and a great boost mentally this morning. I've got to the point where the training is beginning to pay off again and it encourages me to push harder.

I've been reading Marathon Mama's blog this week and she has been writing about her running ethos. She quotes one from Velominati, rule number 10 which states 'It never gets easier. You just get faster'. I talk about this with Laurence frequently, especially after a particularly hard session and you wonder what the whole point is. It doesn't matter whether you're a leisure runner, just looking to keep your weight in tow, or an international athlete, the training always hurts the same. Your objectives are different but the pain is constant. Changed the subtitle on my blog to show how important this is to me.

To quote Velominati again: 'Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired'.