Tempo Training

I am two weeks into my start of tempo training. It consists of a 3 mile warm-up at an average 150 heart-rate, 5K tempo starting at heart-rate 165 mile 4, 175 mile 5, and 185 at mile 6, followed by a 2 mile cool-down ~ 8 miles total. My first week bruised my confidence as I felt I was going to die during mile 6 and my heart-rate hit a maximum of 187 at one point. Tempo Run Attempt #2 exactly 7 days later restored my self-confidence as the work-out felt shorter, the breathing was easier, and the legs felt a bit lighter. In hindsight, I did have a generally bad week for my first tempo run: another financial market downward rally, work stress, relationship stress, start of monthly period cycle, fatigue, all factors that can contribute to the physical and mental endurance in any given day.

It is still 9 weeks out until my Carlsbad half-marathon on January 25th and I still don't quite believe that I will run a personal record by January. Coach Joe reassured me that I am looking very strong and responding very well to the base training. I am right where he expects me to be. We shall see. I've started acqua-jogging once a week for 1 hour in the pool and it hasn't been too bad so far. I am conservatively still increasing my weekly mileage, logging in a total of 47 miles this week before my weekend trip to the Bay Area. Things are feeling great.