Have you ever had the dream? You know - the one where something/someone is chasing you and you know you need to haul ass...but the legs inexplicably won't cooperate? Like they're stuck in cement or weigh about a 100 lbs each?
Well, that was my ill-fated LT interval run today in a nutshell. As soon as my Garmin set off and I took my first step towards running at a faster clip, I knew I was in for a long session. Legs refused to cooperate and fire, breathing became labored and the will to keep churning forward at times seemed insurmountable.
Here are the details of this morning's run:
2 miles warm-up
Mile 3 - 7:24 (Avg HR = 172)
Mile 4 - 7:29 (Avg HR = 174)
2 minute recovery jog
Mile 5 - 7:31 (Avg HR = 178)
Mile 6 - 7:26 (Avg HR = 179)
1 mile cool-down
Yikes.
I've semi-recently hit these paces somewhere between 6:55-7:15 with less effort. And with my goal of running a 1:35-1:38 half, I'd need to hit paces in the 7:15-7:30 range. Needless to say, today was a rude awakening.
Have I really fallen that far back in conditioning in such a short amount of time? Or is there something else at play? Best case scenario, I just had an off day. And my overall mileage has been down while I was off the program.
For now, I'm going to assume it was the former and just keep at my workouts, hoping for the best. But it sure seems like this has been the norm for the past month or so. If so, I'm in for a very long training cycle.
/bitching.
18 comments:
maybe you just suck. JUST KIDDING! you know that i <3 you and ps. i suck a tempo runs too. I can run one pace. that's it. nothing more nothing less. :) You'll get back at it soon, it was probably just because you wake up at like 3 am to run now. what are you charlie?! jk again. :)
Semi-recently? Ahh, probably just a bad day then. You know how it is: Sometimes you have those confidence-shattering runs that make you wonder what the heck you are doing taking up this sport in the first place.
ROFLMAO at Danica!
Nah it was just a bad day. Don't sweat it Burgeroni :-)
I'm not very good at tempos. I'm just learning how to do them. I can't stay consistent or I start out too fast, etc. I bet you just had an off day.
There is always tomorrow!
I've had that dream, and I've had that run!
You actually ran a strong pace today despite the fact that it felt very hard. It was just an off day. Shake it off!!
i think that run looks pretty awesome!!! but i know how it goes... i usually blow all my tempo runs, they are not fun. i also find its really hard for me to hit my tempo paces in the morning (did you do yours this am?). you will get the next one!
@ Danica - yes, I definitely sucked this morning. And apparently, I too only operate on a single gear.
@ aron - yeah, I did it this morning. Hmm...wonder if I should move them to the evening...
Keep doing them! Come race day, just find a fast bunny and follow her to the finish line! :D
LOL @ Danica.
I agree, I'd just chalk it up to an off day. Just keep going!
You know what dream I have all the time before races? I show up to the starting line, and I look down and realize I've forgotten to put my shoes on. I'm standing there in socks. So I ask and ask everyone around me if they have any extra shoes. Finally a race organizer says they have a pair of extra shoes, and hands me a set of big, floppy clown shoes.
No joke.
today you can say it was just an off day, but next time... well then you're gonna have to start accepting the fact that you do suck like danica said. let me know when that day comes, i'll mail m&m's.
seriously though, my tempo runs prior to disney were like MAYBE 7:30s at best, with perhaps a 7:teen mile on a downhill cliff. shake this one off and hopefully your future tempo's will be full of improvement.
Danica...she's a scream!
Dude are you teetering on being overtrained! You're starting to show some of the classic symptoms...trust me been there done that!
Billy, it usually takes me 2-4 weeks to get back into run paces and feel like I should after a maintenance or break period. You just have to struggle through a few workouts and things will snap back around a few weeks into your training cycle. I think the Tempos that don't go well are more beneficial than those that do, even if they're a little slower than target pace - it's great mental training for when you find yourself having an off day in a race or for those lulls in the longer races.
Off Day!!! At least that's what I always tell myself!! You can't have great days all the time-wish we could!!
I had one of those days yesterday too. Did you fuel up the night before for your early morning run? Otherwise, good job getting through the run and not stopping short. Forget about it for now and look forward to the next run.
Sorry to hear it man! Just an off day - very obvious to me... ;)
Still pretty good paces and the workout isn't wasted if your HR was in the right place.
/zen-nes
You'll come back in no time, amigo. You're describing my entire week last week. Just couldn't get my body to cooperate with what my mind was determined to do. Could be mental. Could be I just needed a recovery week. It's usually one or the other. I have a recurring dream, but it usually involves me being able to fly which makes waking up suck. Oh well. I can still run.
Aw, I'm sorry you are feeling so discouraged.
I know you will bounce back any day now.
burger-- dont be too hard on yourself. shit happens all the time in running. what's there to do? just pick it up the next day! there's always another training day! :) i still think you are going to rock the half!
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