I was all over the place this morning. I just couldn't seem to find a course that sounded fun to run. I eventually found myself in Lake Oswego, running past the HS and into downtown. It was 10 miles to the Starbucks where I stopped for a bathroom break and stretched while waiting in line (strange to be in line for a bathroom at 8 am but there were a lot of runners out this morning). To be expected I suppose with Foot Traffic close by. Anyway, from there I started the tempo portion as I made my way back home. I ran a new course home--basically straight south toward I-205 and then west to the Tualatin hospital at Walkers convenience store. The first 2 miles were 4-6% incline. Ugh! Not a fun way to start a tempo workout. The 3rd mile was nearly the same decline and the rest was rolling and flat to Tualatin. I wanted to get 8 miles of sub-6 pace in the bank but figured if I felt good I'd extend it to a full 10 miles. After the 8 miles I wasn't feeling great, but not horrible either so I kept plugging away, figuring I'd get home faster if I stuck with the quicker pace. Tempo portion completed in 57:44 (5:46 average/mile).
I was exhausted by the time I finished. Its been a while since I ran a solid 20 miles and even longer since I hit a 10 mile tempo. Glad to have it in the bank and excited about the confidence boost I gained. Cumulus (441) | 