5km Tempo Run – 27 Jan 2011

Celebrating after this run...

I did a 5km tempo run today. Running at 60-70% MHR (zone 1) for 60% of the distance and 70-80% (zone 2) for the remaining 40%.

Tempo runs are a critical component of running training. It’s simple. You start at a slow base pace for 40% of the distance then go to a faster race pace for 20% of the distance and then slow back down to slow base pace for the remainder of the distance.

It’s strange to discover that an increase of 10% of my heart rate can result in a 25% increase in speed. I tried very hard to keep my heart rate below 80% but it would still creep at 82%. I think it’s because of the warm weather. I need to find ways to cool down my body temperature by drinking more fluids not only during the run but before and after. I discovered that I drink way to little water for my body weight and size.