Log #8: Pro... (wheeze).... gress!

What is a tempo run?

I'm sure there are very complex, scientific ways of defining a "tempo" run, but it's basically a run where you're uncomfortable for 20-30 minutes. You're not going all-out or close to all-out like in a speed workout, but you're running way faster than a normal marathon pace. This type of running teaches your body to tolerate the pain caused when lactic acid builds up in your muscles, and also trains your body to accept more oxygen at once.

Today my workout ended up being this:

2 miles @ 8:30
2 miles @ 7:13
.5 miles @ 9:00

It's pretty clear that the tempo portion of the run killed me. I was supposed to run 2 more miles after the tempo, but I was just DYING. I've learned, from dealing with overtraining injuries, that I have to listen to my body when it says "Stop!" or else my training will suffer down the line. When you start training for something like a marathon, it's very easy to fall into the trap of pushing yourself too hard. You think that the harder you push, the better your gains will be. This is only true up to a certain point: You do need to feel uncomfortable in order to make your body adapt and become stronger, however you also need to make sure that you're not utterly destroying your legs to the point where recovery from a workout takes a week. I could have forced myself to finish the last 2 miles, but I would have A) Puked all over the treadmill, and B) Had sore legs for the next 3-4 days.

The limiting factor for me today was my lungs. My legs were burning a little, but I could have kept going if I had the wind in me. I was breathing very hard at the end of mile 4, and knew that 2 more miles would be pushing myself too hard for this early in training. Since i know that I have almost 7 more weeks before I HAVE to be able to run this workout, I have plenty of time to adapt. In the past I've never had the discipline to hold back on training runs, and I've almost always burned out too early in the training. By pacing myself now, I should be able to run this tempo workout in another 2-3 weeks, while losing 3-4 pounds in the process. All I have to do is show a little progress each week, and I'll know that something is working.

Tomorrow is Rowing Machine day.