First tempo run!

Okay, so I took most of July off with a yanky achilles, then was just lazy the first two weeks of August, so I’m just getting back into it.  Today I did my first tempo run in about two months, and it was tough!  In hindsight, having the entire second mile of my tempo portion be uphill into a wind was…unwise.   I wound up walking a bit, but the first and third miles were close to pace.

The plan: 1 mile warm up, 3 miles @ 6:55 pace, 1 mile cool down.  The reality: 1 mile warm up, 1 mile @ 6:52, 1 mile @ 9:45 (see?), 1 mile @ 7:20, and .77 mile cool down.  Given the long layoff, I’ll take it.  Next time maybe I do this on a track so I have some consistency, or just find some level trails. 

On another note, Run Keeper Pro on the iPhone is kick-ass.  I programmed the workout, and while still telling me my pace, distance and total time every five minutes, it also tells me when to speed up and slow down as part of my interval or, as today, tempo run.  Bad ass!  Plus, it lets me do this: