Wednesday

Good morning! I've had some nice smooth, bold Honduran coffee this morning, so I'm ready to let the day unfold. Wonder what will happen today? I have several things scheduled, and I know there will be lots of other things happen as well.

Last night was Tempo Tuesday. We start the run at Parkview at 5:15 and warm up for 2+ miles, stopping to stretch at the 3 way stop on Washington avenue. The tempo starts at the second power pole from the intersection, heading south, where it then turns down Industrial Drive. You round the corner, turning south again, in front of White River Lodge and find your first mile mark at the stop sign. Mile two, which begins slightly uphill, takes you up to 39th Street, where you turn left. Once you "T" into Washington, you turn right, heading toward Hillcrest Circle, which you run around counter clockwise, bringing you back onto Washington. Mile 2 ends at a man hole cover, not far from Hillcrest Circle. Mile 3 allows you to retrace your steps, but you get to stop at the top of Industrial, right in front of Washington Ave. The last hill is a killer!

Several people were tempoing last night. The group I ran with was mainly Jim Sowders, Tim Galloway, and me. Rand H hung around for part of it, and a faster group was with us for a little while as well, before pulling away. Our goal was to run 6:47 for all three miles. We hit the first mile in 6:46. I've learned you have to push up the hill at the beginning of the 2nd mile to stay on pace. We pushed but didn't let off, so we went through the 2nd mile at 6:36! Yikes! I felt that one! Time to hang on and try survive the last mile, which is pretty tough, because it has 2 uphills. The last uphill, Industrial Drive, gets pretty intense at the end, but it is where you get to finish, which makes it more manageable psychologically. I went through the last mile at 6:51, which is a little off pace, but that was fine. My overall average was 6:44, which is 3 seconds per mile better than I was shooting for. I'll take it and be quite satisfied!

Jim did 4 miles of tempo and looked good and strong. He pulled away on the 3rd mile and just kept going. Tim payed for the hard 2nd mile and fell off just slightly, maybe 2 seconds. Next week I am going to try 4 at 6:47. I don't know if I can hold pace for the 4th mile, but I won't know if I don't try. Right? Today is an easy, recovery 7 miler.