5k Taper Time

Is there such a thing? Because I'm in it. :)

Yesterday I had my last training run on the schedule before the 5k I plan to dominate on Saturday. Hopefully that run is not an indicator of how Saturday will be, because it was less than domination.

I had a 30 min. tempo run to do. When I left the apartment at 5:25am, the clouds were dark, purple and not very happy looking. After running for about 30 seconds, I saw lightning and immediately turned around with thoughts of going back to bed dancing in my head. I stopped to try to assess the weather, is it coming, is it going? How close is it? Am I faster than it? I determined that the storm was still a long ways off, and did not appear to be moving, so I again set out for it. Let me tell you: stormy weather + river = nasty nasty dead fish smell. Almost knocked my socks off, yuck.

I had a one mile warm-up that I completed in 9:48, followed by 2 tempo miles. Tempo mile #1, 8:08. Whoo! Since I usually sucky mcsuck-suck on the first tempo mile of any training run, I really concentrated on long stride lengths. After this mile was the turn around point, and then came the wind, and the rain. Bleck. The wind was BRUTAL. After I got home, weatherbug confirmed the 22 mph wind gusts that I was trying to tempo through. Ever so slightly, my ab started to hurt also. Waaah. So I ran the second tempo mile faster than a moderate pace, but right under ab pain threshold 8:33. Still not too bad, but my range is supposed to be 8:10-8:20, I think. I finished with a cool down .5. Overall 3.5 miles in 31:01 for a pace of 8:52. Tempo pace of 8:20.

Since I didn't have to wake up to run this morning, and I didn't have to work til 11, I slept in until the glorious time of 10am. It was magical. Seriously, there were elves and fairies dancing around my bedroom when I finally tumbled out of bed. Hopefully my legs reward me with some super sweet speediness on Saturday. If anyone knows any great ab stretches, please send them my way, I'll be trying to do some SERIOUS stretching and happy-vibe therapy to that puppy in the next couple of days. :( And I'm definitely going to have to do some yoga, situps, and pushups tonight because I'm going a little stir crazy without doing ANYTHING active yet today (because apparently dreaming doesn't count!)

P.S. One of my favorite episodes of Saved by the Bell was on after my run. The one that they work at the summer resort, and dig for gold on the beach and have to shuffle a birthday party and anniversary group in and out of the dining hall all night. I heart Preppy.

[Also go here to get register for some SWEET Amazing Grass products on Bobbi's page!!]
[And here for another awesome giveaway and info about strands website at The Happy Runner.]