Tempo? Taper? The Fat Kid Picks Tempo!
Today I went for a short 6 mile run. I just love the idea that I can say short 6 mile run. My family still thinks I’m crazy for doing what I do… they remember me as the smart fat kid.
I remember in 8th grade I joined the “track” team with my buddy Dave so we could get a “letter” for our Jr. High School. That was the only team that accepted as many people who would sign up. But of course Dave and I weren’t fast or strong so we each picked the events that we thought we would be the least embarrassed to compete in.
I figured I could run 880 yards without killing myself… and I wouldn’t need to be as fast as the sprinters. Hah… I would be running around the track and just be just coming around the first turn of the second lap when the winners were crossing the finish line. Wow! I was slow.
Now I’m not exactly super fast today. Not like Keith or Kip fast… but I will admit, I am amazed that I can do what I apparently can do. Where does this come from?
Let’s look at today’s run for example…
I had a pretty bad run on Tuesday… I felt like crap, I only ran 4 miles, and don’t think I could have managed any further despite a pace slower than my goal pace for my Ironman run split…
So today, I decided, hey, I’m in taper, I don’t need to go all out… I just need to get out there and stay loose. I’m not going to improve my fitness in the next 14 days… I need to simply prevent injury. I left my house with a “I don’t care how slow I run… I’m going to just get out there…” attitude. I decided to not even look at my watch till I got to the first mile mark… and based on that pace I would figure out how far I could run.
I needed to leave to a PT appointment in 60 minutes… so adding in time for a shower I figured I had about 45 minutes to run. I was running really easy, very mellow, feeling slow but comfortable. So imagine my surprise when I hit the 1 mile mark, look down at my watch and see “7:18″. What? 7:18? I feel like I’m running 9/mile or slower. WOW!?!
Ok, let’s just keep that pace, I might slow down, but I will at least be running 8/mile, so maybe I can get in a full 5 miles… maybe more. Cool!
Mile 2 - 7:12 - What?!! No way… this can’t be happening.
Mile 2.5 — get stopped by a red light… don’t look at the watch… don’t look… oh you looked… 6:47/mile — what?!?! No way…. ok, don’t blow up… finish out the mile.
Mile 3 - 6:54 - Ok that’s more like it, but still… average down to 7:08… can I make a negative split? That’ll be tough… turn around now, you’re going down hill on the way home…
Mile 4 - 6:59 - Not bad, you can still get a negative split… running average still coming down. Stay cool, just run.
Mile 5 - 6:52 - Oh man… now you’ve done it… fastest mile so far… average down to 7:03… you’re on great pace for negative split… but can you run last mile fastest mile? Can you do it? What if you got your average below 7:00/mile? Can you do that? What do you need to do? Quick, work the math… work the math… 3 seconds over 6 miles… 18 seconds… 7:03 - 0:18 = 6:45/mile… Can you do that? You can do that!
Mile 5.75… don’t look…. just run… just run… you’re doing great… don’t tempt fate… don’t look… if you’re doing it… you’re doing it… if you’re not… no big deal… remember Taper! This is your TAPER! Remember? TAPER!!!! Don’t look… glance down… 6:24/mile… WHAT! I said don’t look down! Don’t look means don’t look! Now you have to keep running… keep it up! Keep it up! Crush it! Go! Go! Go!
Mile 6 - 6:36 - WOW! You did it! Average pace 6:59/mile! Great Run!
What did we say kids?
Great run = negative split + last mile fastest + beat some pace milestone… (Sub 7min/mile for 6 miles…)
Yeah! This Fat Kid can run!
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 08/31/2007
- Time: 21:16:30
- Total Time: 00:42:06.00
- Average Heart rate: 170
- Max Heart rate: 185
- Calories: 688
- Distance: 6.03 miles
- Average Pace: 6:59.09/mile
- Max Pace: 6:36.04/mile
Filed under: Ironman, Run, run, tempo run, triathlon |
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6 Comments: :
Tempo? Taper? The Fat Kid Picks Tempo!
August 31st, 2007 9:34 pm
colleenm says:
Sounds like a great run! That must have felt awesome. Way to go!
September 1st, 2007 3:13 am
Hobbes says:
Great run! Less than two weeks to go, and you sound ready.
September 1st, 2007 10:44 am
sebsmom says:
Don’t you just love those moments where you do something that you weren’t expecting to do? Great job! Oh, your inner dialog of “Don’t look down”, but then you glance down…totally me! Good luck on your triathlon!
September 1st, 2007 10:51 am
cardano says:
Cool. Sounds like you were experiencing a kind of nice Flow.
Amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.
Good luck with the Ironman.
September 1st, 2007 8:19 pm
kipdogg says:
Runner’s High. Ride that untill race day. I coached high school track and xc for 7 years. I have so many stories of kids who started off ’slow’ or ‘fat’ that were turned into true distance runners. Sounds like you have a similar story. That is one thing I really take pride in, coaching these young athletes to enjoy the sport and watching them improve throughout their career. Good luck as you follow through with your taper.
September 1st, 2007 9:13 pm
Brad Hefta-Gaub says:
Oh how I wished I’d had a coach that cared back then. I mean, I guess I can’t fault them too much… I doubt I looked or acted like I cared.
I really never would have guessed I could be good at any sport. Now, I’m not really good at it… but the bar is much lower for a 38 year old… and as I get older, the bar gets lower… I figure my fitness is on the rise while everyone’s expectations are getting lower and lower.
I had plenty of good mentors in school… but they were all academic. Ironically, I think that one of my favorite teachers, my math teacher in 8th grade, was also one of the assistant track coaches… but I don’t ever recall him taking time to try to get me to do more in athletics.
Now that I have kids, I make a point to include in the “you can do anything you want speech” that they really can do anything they want… not just academically, but athletically too. My youngest daughter announced at 4 years old she was going to win the Tour de France. “Tour de France here I come! Tour de France here I come!” Why not? Hopefully by then the sport will be cleaned up enough to be safe. But I certainly won’t tell her that’s out of her reach.