Tough Tempo + Runner Doolittle

Since I had been putting off my tempo run due to cold temps and insane wind trapping me indoors, it was finally time to take care of it on Thursday.  I was to do 10 miles with 8 at tempo pace of 8:28.  It was so stinkin' cold it took awhile for me to warm up.  Literally.  When I got about 4 miles from home I realized that it was pretty dark, so I decided to turn around at 4.5 miles and not do a cool down lap.  Cool downs are for sissies.  (jk, I totally did a quick walk in lieu of a full jogging mile).  This was seriously one of the tougher workouts I've done.  Miss Alyssa was totally my inspiration on this run, because she had knocked out an 8 miler a couple of days previously at what "felt like an easy pace" and was at 8:05 or something crazy fast like that.  Alyssa when did you leave me in your dust?!?!?  :(

Anywho, I didn't quite hit my goal pace, averaging 8:30 for my tempo miles, but I was still pretty impressed with my run.  Usually when I start sucking on a tempo run, I find a reason to quit and just take the remaining miles at an easy pace.
1. 9:29 
2. 8:29 
3. 8:31 
4. 8:24 
5. 8:27 
6. 8:35 
7. 8:35 
8. 8:29 
9. 8:35

I was a little bummed that I wasn't able to kick it any faster for the final mile, but then John tweeted that I did great on the run, and bet that I couldn't have done that a year ago.  Well then, I had to set about proving him wrong.  :)  For some reason I have it in my head that I'm roughly the same speed that I was a year ago, but he was right.  Last year at this time my tempo paces might've been a little faster but they were also only 4-5 miles tops.  Then I had to check the last round of MARATHON TRAINING!!!!!  and realized that this run was actually at a faster pace (and longer distance) than those tempo runs too.  Fine, you win this time.  :)


The coolest part of the run was running up on a mama deer and her baby deer during the final mile (hey maybe that's why it wasn't super speedy, I slowed down not to scare off the deers...duh....).  I have this weird habit of greeting animals when I run up on them to make sure they understand that I am friend and not foe, but I swear one of these times there's going to be someone within ear shot and I'm going to start to be known as "that weirdo Dr. Doolittle wannabe runner chick."  Can't wait.....

It's insane that 7:30 is now sleeping in...

I do love me some Thursday morning runs. Mostly because I get to sleep in 3 hours. It's borderline magical, for sure. Nothing too exciting to report. Just an easy 3 miles, although my legs are no longer aware of what an "easy" pace is. I know that it's not 9 mm, especially the day after a tough speed workout, but try to tell them that. Stupid legs, maybe they needed to go that quick to work out the aches and tightness that yesterday's workout left. Just means that I could get home even quicker so I could catch up on SYTYCD. We were without a TV last week, so our DVR is full of episodes. I'm watching the first episode of the top 20 so please don't spoil it for me!!

3 miles in 27:10 for 9:03 pace.

I forgot to mention yesterday that during my run I was the closest I have ever been to a deer. When I started my run to the gym, there was a deer just looking at me across the street. I didn't want to startle him to run in front of traffic, so I kept talking to him and telling him to run back into the river area. He just kept looking at me. I think I made a friend. :)

Speaking of yesterday's run it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who's a sweat monster.

(GAH! I totally had a someecard to include in here that's hilarious, but I think they changed up the format of their site, and I can't upload it. Sniff.) Go here. It's funny. To prove how sweaty mcsweaterson I truly am, an old co-worker sent me this ecard at the start of this fall. Too funny.

Yay, I'm a genius. Here it is: