Archives for Tempo Runs category
Posted on Oct 03, 2008 under 5k, Milestones, PB's, Tempo Runs, Time Trials |
I haven’t slept much all week and have had some kind of stomach bug. Was feeling really tired this morning and had restless legs again as well as still feeling a bit queasy from the bug/food poisoning or whatever it was.
Although I didn’t feel up to it much, I wanted to get out to keep the legs turning over, so planned a 5k jog. It was freezing, so I didn’t hang around too much but set off a bit quickly to get warm. Did the first k in 4:50 then just decided to keep it going. Fourth k really hurt as the split shows, slowed to 5 mins per k after doing my fastest k split to date of 4:34. Desperation to get under 24 minutes kept the legs going near the end but staggered over 5k as Garmin clocked the last metre and 1 tenth of a second over 24 minutes
Still, a PB despite feeling totally rubbish when I walked out the door, and didn’t do much of a warmup either, so there has been improvement even though I took a week off, which must have done me some good too!
Splits were:
4:50
4:45
4:34
5:00
4:48
Posted on Aug 30, 2008 under 5-10k, 5k, Tempo Runs, Time Trials |
This was one of those easy runs that suddenly turned into a time trial tempo run kind of mash up 
I decided to do my 5k time trial route but in reverse, and just run it hard but comfortable and run to how I felt rather than keep checking the Garmin. But at 2k I felt comfortable and couldn’t resist checking the Garmin - and as I felt comfortable and was doing sub 25 min pace, I thought I would push on, and at that point it turned into a time trial. Mid way was a hill I usually coast down, but was climbing it this time and it took it out of my legs, but I ran the last 2k damned hard, so hard it took me a couple of minutes to stop breathing hard when I stopped - and only just broke 25 mins, so the hill bit must have slowed me a bit more than I thought.
I’ve had a week with little to no improvement, which is likely because I have been running quite intensively and now need a bit of a break - will have an easy week leading up to next Sunday’s Trafford 10k, throw in a 5k time trial, but mostly easy runs to keep fitness where it is and not burn too much energy - but on today’s evidence I wouldn’t be able to run the 2 sub 25 min 5k’s that would result in a sub 50 10k, but on the day who knows 
Posted on Aug 22, 2008 under 5-10k, 5k, PB's, Tempo Runs, Time Trials |
5k against the clock on my usual route - managed a PB by 2 seconds, but more importantly I am running around abouts 24:30 now regularly whereas before I was stuck around 25:00 so there is definite improvement there.
For this run I did a little warm up jog, then set off, but I was overconfident again and set off too quickly, which I paid for in the latter stages. Did the first k in something ridiculous like 4 minutes 20! Was going about 24:00 pace with a k and half to go, but seemed to be going backwards a bit towards the end as my legs and lungs ran out of pace. Still was good to hit full throttle for a few k and if I can pace one of these 5k’s right I will be sub 24 before too long I hope!
Might do an easy run or rest day tomorrow and a long slow run on Sunday, which will make this my most intensive period of running to date, which I need if I am going to get faster and stronger!
Posted on Aug 12, 2008 under 5-10k, 5k, PB's, Tempo Runs, Time Trials |
Colder days seem to suit me for 5k time trial type runs - just wanted to run 5k as fast as I could today and ended up knocking a little off my PB again, about 5 seconds - felt a bit laboured the first half and got a bit caught up in traffic at the junction near Haughton Green Road, but managed to get across road without stopping. After 3k was 20 seconds under 25 minute pace, but seemed to slow a bit in the penultimate k before putting on another burst for the finish and getting caught up with cars again! Finished 5 seconds quicket than last 5k, was knackered but it felt good.
Am not sure how well I am going to be prepared for Birchwood this Sunday, as with one thing and another may not get too much running in this week. Have been feeling tired after a busy work week last week, and not been sleeping too well - next couple of days am tied up, so may try another 5 k on Friday and a nice easy 5 on Saturday, just to keep the legs loose - I doubt I am going to gain or lose much in the way of fitness with 3-4 days to go, so will just have to see how it goes. I am aiming for sub 53 (no delusions of grandeur about sub 50 - will take it off one minute at a time if I have to!!)
Posted on Aug 05, 2008 under 5-10k, 5k, Milestones, PB's, Tempo Runs |
About time I did one of my 5k time trials, last week I ran more miles than ever before in a week with a mixture of an easy run and a couple of longer runs, but have been getting slower and slower - so wanted to get back to some quicker running over a shorter distance to make sure there is some speed in my legs!
The weather was kind today - almost chilly and threatening to rain, overcast but not humid. Set off a bit too fast I thought, but was able to keep going at that pace for 4k and felt great, although in the last k I could feel I was tiring. Pushed on and went as quick as I could for the last few 100 yards, but seemed to overshoot my normal lampost finish by a good few strides before the Garmin clocked 5k - but still finished 5k in 24m 45s - a new PB for my personal time trials!
Posted on Jul 23, 2008 under 5k, Tempo Runs |
I’d had a couple of rest days after my longer run on Sunday, and was feeling fresh and ready for a run - I had one of my 5k specials planned, mixture of a tempo run and unofficial time trial! Judging from my run on Sunday, it seems that I can manage 26 minutes pace for 5k comfortably, and can likely maintain it over a full 10k, so I wanted to run a bit faster than that (using the “hard, pushing towards uncomfortable, but not flat out” definition of a tempo run), and was hoping to run sub 25 for the second time.
This didn’t work out - weatherwise, it felt a bit warm and muggy before I set off, so humidity must have been up (when I checked later it was relative humidity of 75%). I set off at a slowish pace and got to 2k, and even at that point I was wondering if I would have to stop, as I wasn’t feeling all that great and my legs felt a bit heavy, although I was managing to keep at roundabouts 5 mins per k pace, but had to slow a bit to keep myself from blowing up, as I at least wanted to finish my paltry 5k! I just felt if I went any quicker, I would over do it and not be able to finish, and there’s something within me that doesn’t like admitting defeat by stopping before I’ve done what I set out to do!
As it happened, I was able to go a little bit quicker at the end, but it wasn’t like the sprint finish I managed when I first broke the 25 minutes barrier. I was very glad to stop in the end and didn’t have much at all left! I felt really warm, and was still gasping for breath 2-3 minutes after stopping, plus my legs felt wobbly. And I had practically killed myself to run 5k in 25m 17s! I have run it faster the last 2 times!
However, I did a bit of research, and there are theories about how conditions affect runners. So, how does humidity affect runners and their running? In my case it seemed to reduce my efficiency, I was having to work much harder and I could actually sense my heart and lungs working overtime, plus recovery time after the run seemed to take a lot longer.
One thing humidity does is stop the body cooling as effectively - in dry air conditions, the sweat evaporates quickly and cools the skin, helping the body to cool down. The higher the humidity, the less effective this system becomes, so the body can’t cool down normally.
An interesting theory I read claims that because their are more microscopic water droplets in the air when it’s humid, it means that your oxygen supply is effectively saturated with water - although there is plenty of excess oxygen in the air, the amount of water droplets reduces how much and how effectively the lungs can process it - so the heart and lungs start working harder because they are doing what is normally expected of them, without getting sufficient oxygen. Some say this theory holds no water (if you pardon the joke!) but I definitely suffered from this today - my lungs were screaming for oxygen by the end, and it was unusual for me to take quite so long for my breathing to get back to normal - as if the lungs were working a few more minutes to get all that oxygen into the starved heart and muscles?
It’s interesting - I will definitely keep more of an eye on the conditions in future, and it may be an idea to slow my pace on muggy humid days - hopefully it will have almost been like a bit of altitude training, and next time I run in OK conditions, I will smash through my target time! 
Posted on Jul 11, 2008 under 5k, PB's, Tempo Runs |
Been taking it easy more or less since my hard 10k race on Sunday - had recovery run on Tuesday, so thought I’d get back to training with one of my 5k tempo runs, thought it would be interesting to see how my body responded to pushing the pace up a bit, and how my new Asics shoes responded as well! (They are a bargain neutral cushioned shoe I got from Sportshoes.com
Set off thinking I was going at pretty easy pace, but was just above 5 mins per k according to the Garmin; I felt Ok so got up to a comfortable but fastish (for me!) pace and kept going, only occasionally feeling the need to go into a recovery pace but resisting the temptation to slow down, and at times quickening up. Felt good even though according to Garmin I was well under 5m per k at times - had moments where I felt I was really flying, strides were long and quick, but at my level currently, to keep that up would be suicidal!
By the time got to my last finishing street with finishing lampost in sight (this is a regular route I run when doing tempo runs, to make sure my personal time trial isn’t affected by terrain, route, hills etc), thought I was going to crawl in over 26 minutes as usual, but gave it all I had, and noticed the Garmin said 24:30 with the finish in sight, so I sprinted (or ran clumsily fast at any rate!) and clocked the 5k up in 24:59.
I’ve finally broken the 25 mins - only just! But I feel there’s a lot more to come - the other week I was killing myself to do it in 26 minutes, and had stagnated at that kind of time for a while.
Average pace was easy to work out, at 5 minutes per k, but at times ran considerably faster - not a pace I could maintain for a long time, but can try to keep doing it for longer and build sustainable pace that way. So I know I can run at about 4 minutes per kilometre for short periods - maintaining that for 5k would mean a 20 minute 5k or a 40 minute 10k - am a long way off from that, perhaps impossibly so - but my goal of a sub 50 10k is at least in sight!!
Very pleased with this run and felt elated to beat the clock at last 24 minutes in sight now!
Posted on Jun 29, 2008 under Speedwork, Tempo Runs |
Bit of a disaster, was hoping to run 3km within 15 minutes as part of attempt to do 5k inside 25 minutes. Set off at a suicidal pace (about 4 minutes per k) but at just under 1k my Garmin freaked out, lost the signal, and stopped clocking distance for the next 8 minutes.
This did all kinds of things to my head, not having done such a “sprint” before, I had no idea what my pace was, except that I was slowing, and was frustrated I was not going to get a proper time. The Garmin came back on, but I was running in a circuit and it was obviously measuring A to B across that, so was totally out - I was blowing up anyway due to suicidal starting pace, so stopped where I thought the 3k mark usually is on longer runs using that route.
Felt totally knackered - lungs felt raw and burning!
But run a success in one way, as it’s clear I need to do more of this type of thing to get used to running at a faster pace - although I obviously struggle when I set off very fast.
Much prefer the long slow runs for enjoyment, but will do a few more of these and hope the Garmin keeps track next time!
Posted on Jun 24, 2008 under 5k, Tempo Runs |
Seem to be struggling with this 5k lark (at least to make significant improvements) - I felt I was running at an increased pace all the way today, didn’t go into a recovery pace like I did last time - well maybe for 10 seconds here and there - result was 12 seconds off the last time! Not sure if that’s good or not so good, considering I was knocking minutes off not so long ago. Still, at least I DID make a small improvement, and I did reach my first goal of coming within 26 mins - albeit by only 1 second at 25m 59s!
Although it was hard work to get this small improvement, pushing all the way, and feeling more knackered at the end than ever before, I did feel good on the way round, it was exhilarating even though felt tough at times!
Posted on Jun 21, 2008 under 5k, Tempo Runs |
Am making the most of being back after my enforced rest - my training blog over the last few months was saying to me I wasn’t really getting enough running in, which hurt me when I had the enforced lay off, so now I can run again, I am going for it (within reason)
After yesterday’s easy run back into it (well it was supposed to be easy!), I decided to do a 5k tempo pushing hard as I could all the way. It was raining and pretty damn cold for 21st June - so off I set. After about 1.5k I hit this mode where I felt I was flying, and kept that up for about 1k, but felt it was too much to maintain right to the end, and settled into a recovery pace for a bit before trying to pick it up again. By the end I was pushing hard but feeling the pinch, I thought I was going to smash my PB but always seem to think the 5k lampost is a lot nearer than it actually is (in fact another 40-50 seconds away!) - when I hit the lampost (figuratively) and the garmin clocked over 5k, I stopped and had got back to my 26 11 pace of 3 weeks ago. Which is a vast improvement on yesterday’s run, although I did have to push quite hard to get it, and seem to be still some way off being able to break 25 minutes (not in fact having managed to break 26 yet!!! :eek.
Plan to do a 10k regular run tomorrow or Monday to top up the stamina as it’s not long until my next race now.
