I spent most of the day, doing odd jobs around the house, so when it came time to run, it was late afternoon.  By that time the weather had turned quite bad, with pop-up storms all around. Experience told me to check my computer, where I studied the weather radar, to figure out where best to run.  My homework paid off beautifully, as I dodged the storms and ended up with a totally rain-free run.

For my run today, I wanted to repeat a run that I used to do all the time, before becoming a triathlete.  The run was five miles at tempo effort, sandwiched between a mile or so warm up, and a mile cool down.  I wanted to do this run, to check my tempo pace, versus the pace I was running five years ago.

Why five years ago?  Well, that was when I ran my open marathon PR, and qualified for Boston.  I did this run test a little blind; I ran today before looking up what my pace was five years ago.  I was really pleased with the results, when I went back and looked at my history.

So, my tempo pace today was 5 seconds per mile faster than it was just over five years ago. Also my heart rate was much lower, this time around.  Both are excellent signs that my run training is going well, as I prepare for Indianapolis in just over five week’s time.

I was so glad I dodged the storms today. My tempo run has given me a lot of confidence in my running right now.  I am feeling strong and eager to continue my training.