So, this week I did a 2 X 3 mile Tempo run. You need to
do workouts that are specific to the distance you are racing and at the pace
you expect to run in that race. You should not run at a pace that you would
like to run if it is faster than what you can really do. Does that make sense?
Anyway I have never tried doing two back to back 3 mile Tempos runs this way,
only two milers, such as 3 X 2 miles.
All day I worried about doing this, could I pull it off?
It would be almost like running two 5K races with only a four minute rest
between. Turns out it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I started
late in the afternoon and by the time I did my one mile warm-up and got halfway
into the first three mile it was getting dark. I use one of those clip-on LED
lights for my visor set on strobe and carry a small but powerful LED flashlight
for when it’s dark.
By the time I started my second three miles it was
completely dark. I have run on this bike path many times but unfortunately both
of my lights were getting dim so I had to be extra careful of my steps. This
forced me to run a bit slower than I wanted but in the end it was still ok.
The basic rundown of this work out started with a one
mile warm-up. For the three mile Tempo I wanted to run at my expected Half
Marathon pace of 7:14. The first mile ended up being 7:32, the second at 7:18
and for the last I made it down to 7:13. I jogged slowly for four minutes
before beginning the second three miles.
As I began the second half my legs where feeling really
sluggish but managed a faster first mile over the first Temp run at 7:26. The
second mile was slower because of the darkness but I was able to pick it up
during the last half mile as I had more surrounding light so I could see better
finishing with a 7:13. I finished this work-out with a one mile cool down.
If you are not doing this type of work-out while
preparing for a Half or full Marathon you should start. You greatly improve
your endurance and find yourself running faster on race day.
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