Back to Tempo Pace

Being the master tactician that I am, I have recently been revising my 6 week plan to the Walt Disney World marathon. I just need to execute my said plan, and I should be good, right? (But of course!)

So in keeping with my new plan, I had a tempo run which was going to be a piece of cake tough son-of-a-gun to complete. I had all illusions intentions of making it happen, so out to the track I went.

Here are the nuts and bolts of the plan. A 2 mile warm-up; 7 miles tempo at a 7:13 pace; a 2 mile cool down.

Execution: I was completely comfortable during my first mile. Right speed, decent form, correct breathing. Then I saw that I knocked it out in 7:18. That may be a bit fast for my plans of 7 at tempo. I wanted to slow it down some, but the body just felt so good, and the 2nd warm-up lap was a 7:17.

I knew I only needed to speed up a little, and the slight extra effort wasn't that bad. 7:09. I could already feel that I was going to dancing all around the clock today. My next lap was a 7:17. Seems to be a pattern going on here. Lucky Black 17.^*1

As I was approaching the 1/2 way point on for lap 5, a young Ranger ran onto the track ahead of me. Being a former "Bat-Boy"^*2 myself, this kicked in my sub-natural instinct to out run him. This is MY track, fool! I think I may have let out a "Rangers Lead the Way!" as I past by him. I think that was my middle name kicking in! I hit that mile in 7:00.

Whoa, dude. Easy on the reigns; real 'er in! That's what the body did by giving me a 7:16, 7:18 and an awful 7:29. One more lap to go, time to work it. Keep the form and ease the speed up.

My final tempo lap was a 7:10. But of course it was … I was lapping that young Ranger and passing another dude. I would never rub in that anyone got "pawned" by an older Soldier.

After that, I took a long mile of 9:00 and a final lap of 8:25.

I'm confident that I could stay at the 7:17 pace throughout all 11 miles as it felt so comfortable.

So, the actual tempo miles were completed in 50:39 at a 7:14 avg. pace. I'm going to treat my inner-child like Jack Bauer treats terrorists and torture myself until I find out where the hidden second is.

*1. Obscure reference to the roulette wheel and James Bond 007.

*2. Bat-Boy is a Soldier that served in one of the Army's the Ranger Battalion.

Hey, ladies: Notice the references to speeding up and pawning other runners. Guys don't care who you are, If you are ahead of us, we're in the hunt. We just want to pick you off. It's not sexist, it just boys being boys.