Tempo - 10 miles with 7 @ 7:17/mi

AM Tempo - 10 miles with 7 miles @ 7:17/mi

I was hoping for a good tempo run at MP pace (7:15 optimitically for a 3:10 marathon) but I knew this one wouldn't go so smoothly the moment I started. The legs just felt flat.

I pushed the effort harder than I have before on these tempo runs, averaging close to 150 the entire way, but it really didn't help, and I ended up with 7:17/mile pace, which while it sounds good, isn't so great when you consider that I was going full-tilt half-marathon effort and not at all an aerobic effort pace.

I actually was planning for 8 miles @ tempo pace today, but I was flagging so hard midway through that I decided to cut it short a mile (matching up with the Hanson plan for tempo miles.)

We'll see how these tempo runs progress, but it may be that I have to pull back the paces if it doesn't get a lot better in the next 8 weeks.

One factor to consider though, is that I did this one at 2AM, and I definitely run worse at that wee hour, despite not being sleepy when I'm up then. (I go back to sleep after I'm back, weirdly enough.) I tend to run faster at daytime hours, as with this past Sat 12miler where I ran pretty close to today's tempo pace (7:30/mi x 12 miles) without undue difficulty.

PM - 3 miles recovery, 9:00/mile TM 

Easy recovery run. Actually felt better than this AM on the run.