Grooved to Run

Today was Week 8 Day 3 of Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan.

Thirty minute tempo on the schedule today, so I did 10-10-10. Total was 3.05 miles in 30:00 (9:49/mi pace). Average paces for each of the ten minute blocks were 10:28, 8:28, and 10:51/mi. Burned about 459 calories.

The whole tempo run concept has been a tricky one for me to grasp. Run too slow and there’s really no benefit, but if you push way too hard then it doesn’t really do what it’s supposed to do.

This time my goal was to start extremely slow (~12/mi) and ramp up to about 10/mi at the 5:00 mark. At the 10:00 mark I stopped looking at my Forerunner and just ran at a pace that felt “comfortably hard” for the next ten minutes. At the 20:00 mark I started slowing it down as gradually as I could, hoping to get back to 12/mi at 30:00.

I have no idea if that’s the right way to do it or not. According to Hal Higdon, the fast portion should be at my 10K pace which is roughly 8:42/mi. So I guess tonight’s run was about right.

PS. GPS signal was a bit wonky in the beginning. I wasn’t actually doing 20-minute miles. :)