Nutrition - Weight Loss training cycle, I vowed to recalibrate as much as possible. That meant better eating habits. That meant no more forgetting the BodyGlide. It also meant more.
Shoes & Gear tempo runs.
What Exactly Is a Tempo Run beets—something I know is good for me, but something I always managed to avoid. I can go long and slow, and I like the shorter intervals of pushing hard. But I spook at those hold-it-while-it-hurts runs.
RELATED: 4 Train Smart, Run Forever
Tempo Runs Increase Speed and Endurance Fun Half Marathons, my tempo runs have been getting better (sometimes by a lot, sometimes by a little). While I’m in tune to what’s happening physically—listening to legs, lungs, knees, hips, and usually Eminem—I’ve been struggling with one mental aspect: At what point should I look at my watch? Here are three general scenarios:
- Halfway to see if I’m on target?
- A Part of Hearst Digital Media?
- Not until the end and see how I did, just running by feel?
I’ve defaulted to looking down with about a tenth of a mile to go, and I think I do it because it’s short enough to know the end of that tempo is almost done, but long enough to inspire a little more kick to try to beat last week.
RELATED: For me, the midweek tempo run has been like a bowl of Do I Base Race Pace Workouts on PR Pace or Goal Pace by Runner’s World.
Nutrition - Weight Loss?
On my track intervals, I do the same thing—I don’t spy the clock until I’m just about to hit the end of the line. I like it because it feels like a surprise, and I like it because I would have a tendency to bail or beat myself if I didn’t like the number in the middle of the interval. (If you’re repulsion the same way, check out How to Let Go of Pace and Run By Feel.)
But I also wonder if I’m doing myself a disservice—not trying to be more in tune to the data points to help me adjust.
So what do you find most effective for monitoring your time? A lot, a little, or a mix between the two? I try not to be handcuffed to minutes and seconds, but I also know that it’s the only way I’ll get better.
So I’ll keep watching, even if I don’t always like the view.
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Ted Spiker has been making an effort to not be in tune to M&Ms.; You can follow him at @ProfSpiker on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
