Tempo Session

After yesterday's tough interval session, I felt slightly concerned about tonight's workout, a 20-minute tempo run. I was looking for the elusive "comfortably hard" pace. I would warmup for 2.5 miles, run 3 miles at my tempo pace of about 6:55 per mile, and then cool down for another half mile. At least that was the idea. I thought about heading for the track again, but opted to just stick to the creek path. The miles are all marked on the path, and seem pretty accurate.

The weather had thankfully improved, and it was a near-perfect 52 degrees and sunny when I set out at 6:40 PM. The sun was sinking lower, but there were still plenty of people out enjoying the evening. Spring is in full gear here in Boulder. The creek is nearly overflowing its banks, the grass is green, and everywhere the trees are blooming in red, white, or pink blossums that smell wonderful.

I ran gradually uphill to the first bridge at Eben Fine Park (site of the 0.0 mile marker) and turned around. I picked up the pace steadily, trying to imagine the pace I could maintain for an hour and no longer. Pacing is a difficult art. I passed the first mile in 7:14, feeling fairly comfortable and breathing in a 3-3 pattern. I picked it up a bit more, shifting to a 2-2 breathing pattern and feeling the effort. Mile two passed in 6:44. I eased up slightly for the last mile, but this one was an out-and-back, with the last half uphill. I finished my last tempo mile in 7:02, for an average pace of exactly 7:00 per mile.

I was satisfied with the workout. It felt challenging, but not too bad.

Run summary: 6.1 miles in 47:21 (7:46 average pace).

Bonus! After the run, I got a free dinner (courtesy of work) at Laudisio, one of Boulder's top Italian restaurants. I had the scallops, and they were delicioso!