Is this a tempo run???

According to my new Marathon training schedule, I was supposed to run a 45 minute tempo run this morning. This is what I did:

5 minutes @ 8:34

5 minutes @ 7:47

25 minutes @ 7:30

5 minutes @ 7:47

3 minutes @ 7:30

2 minutes @ 8:34

Total of 5.78 miles in 45 minutes.

This is my question to anyone who is out there and willing to answer, it this a tempo run? I have run 2 marathons in the past. Both times I maxed out my mileage at 22 miles. Both time my 22 mile runs had me perfectly paced to finish in under 4 hours. Both races I finished just over 4 hours. My first marathon I made the rookie mistake of going out too quickly and bonked near the end. The second marathon I was sick and underweight/dehydrated going into the race. I made it to about mile 16 or 18 before I was cramping and unable to eat or drink. I really want to run the sub 4 hour time I have been training for. I consider my marathon pace to be somewhere between 8:45 and 9:00 miles. I have very little understanding of what a tempo run actually is. I have read about them in Runners World and on the inter-webs but still don’t exactly get the concept of a true tempo run. What are your thoughts?

 

Marathon Training Week 4

Monday 12/23/2013-Swim Day

200 Warm up

300 Stroke drills

3X300-RPE 4-5

4X100 EBHE

200 cool down

Tuesday 12/24/2013- Run Day

I only had a 1/2 day at work but figured I’d be there later than expected with my 45 minute drive. I really wanted to sleep-in and do my run after work but decided to go at my usual 5:15-5:30 am time. I was so happy I did! the gym was dead and I had a great run. I also had the showers and the mirror space all to myself as I got ready for work! I ran an easy 5 miles at 8:45 pace.

Wednesday 12/25/2013-Christmas

I did not run or workout on Christmas. I did spend time with family and celebrate love, happiness, and the spirit of giving. I am super happy to report that I got a kick board for christmas so I will be able to do some better kicking sets!

Thursday 12/26/2013-Run day

At 5:15 am I pulled into an empty gym parking lot and a dark gym. Apparently they were still closed from the holiday. Luckily I only live 3 minutes from my gym and was able to get home and run on the treadmill in my basement. It is not as sturdy as the machines at the gym but will do the trick when I have no other options. I did a quick 3 miles before heading to work.

Friday 12/27/2013-Rest Day?

I should have had a cycling day but accidentally turned my alarm off instead of snoozing it. Not only did I miss my morning workout but I also woke up about 20 minutes before I had to walk out the door for work. Hopefully after next week I can settle back into a routine and will not miss more workouts. I have decided I will give the 5:15 am spin classes another chance. Perhaps dealing with the instructor’s bad attitude will increase my mental toughness (this is what I tell myself).

Saturday 12/28/2013-Run day

I was a balmy 40 degrees in the Wisco disco today, which is great running weather in my opinion. I met with my trainer for my first workout. He had me doing squats, dead lifts, and  super mans. On the TRX I did jump squats, pistol squats, low rows, bicep curls, mountain climbers and mountain jumpers. After my workout with my trainer I got home, changed my clothes, grabbed a snack , readied my fuel belt and headed out for a 9 mile run. It became pretty clear that I have been spending way too much time on the treadmill. My mile splits were all over the place. It didn’t help that I had to keep slowing down to dodge patches of ice on the sidewalks. It would appear that no one had shoveled from the last snow knowing that today would be warm. The layer of snow nicely hid the ice pack below. treacherous indeed! My overall pace was 8:38 which is pretty decent for me. My mile times were 8:51, 8:25, 8:27, 8:50, 8:46, 8:33, 8:19, 8:38, 8:51. I’m a little bummed with my inconsistancies but I know my pacing will get better as I’m able to run outside more.

My trainer has suggested that I take branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) on days that I do workouts with him and then run afterwards. I took them today but am looking for anyones opinion out there. Does anyone take BCAAs or have any advice or wisdom to be shared? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear it!

Sunday 12/29/2013

Rest day