Today was the first tempo run of my new training plan. If you’re not familiar, the theory behind the tempo run is to increase the anaerobic threshold. That’s techie runner speak for the point at which your body stops using the aerobic energy system and starts using the anaerobic energy system. The idea behind a tempo run is to run the first third slow, the second third fast and the final third slow. I ran the first ten minutes slow, the second 8.5 minutes “fast” and the final 11.5 minutes at a slightly faster pace than the first. All in all, it was a pretty good run. My hamstrings are definitely sore from the strength training yesterday, but I really accomplished my goal of running the second third faster than my last 5K race.
Actual workout
.8 miles warmup
1.04 miles at 9:36 pace
1.20 miles at 7:08 pace
1.21 miles at 9:25 pace
.8 miles cool down.