7/13/06 Tempo

time 530
temp 90s
route: town lake trail
distance: 5 or so
workout: 4 mile tempo

A good thread on the gazelles forum got me thinking about the mental side of running and i pulled out a book opn mental conditioning this afternoon before the tempo. I really wasn't too nervous before the run today, in part because we've been talking about being nervous and that helps to bring it out in the open, and also I think the monday runs are conditioning me to run with more discomfort than before. Anyway, the book talks about visualisation and affirmations. I used these today in the rough spots and was able to get through them a little more easily before.

Mile 1: 6:11 started out with Chris and hit this one pretty well. Felt comfortable, but not too comfortable.
Mile 2: 6:13 This was a tough one because the sun was blasting us as we got out by the fields near Mopac. Chris surged a little on me and got about 5 yards ahead.
Mile 3: 6:03 Tried to pick it up but the breathing was labored and the legs started to come off. Chris dropped back about .25 miles into this mile so I was alone coming back. I started having bad thoughts about .5 miles into this mile, and I remember thinking that I couldn't keep this pace going, and that I needed to slow down. Instead, i practiced telling myself that i was strong, that i was relaxed, and I tried to even my breathing out more. This seemed to help me because i didn't slow too much.
Mile 4: 6:15 The wheels came off but I kept at it for this last mile. I tried to really hammer but i was hurting pretty bad.
Total 24.43 minutes.
My last tempo was 25.06 so I dropped 20 seconds or so. Acceptable considering the weather. It was hot and humid today.
Goal for this workout is to continue this trend to get below 24 minutes by 2 tempos from now and keep it there. THere is no way I'll be running anywhere near a 2.45 marathon with these current times.