Overcoming Mid-Week Tempo Fears

Happy Wednesday!

This morning I finally embraced the mid week tempo run. My training calendar has a mid-distance tempo run on it each week and until now I’ve split it up and feared it for a few reasons:

  • Running longer than 4 miles on a weekday means leaving the house by 5:30 if I’m going to make it to work on time.
  • Even though I’ve been running for quite some time now, I’ve never figured out how to fuel for a 6-7 mile run.
  • I don’t live close enough to Central Park to enjoy the run up there unless I’m out the door and on the subway by 5am!

Last night, we didn’t get home from seeing Rock of Ages until almost 10pm which meant I wasn’t in bed until 11:30 by the time I ate dinner and relaxed.

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Even though I was exhausted at 5:15, I knew I’d feel better if I finally conquered my fears.

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The above picture is me trying to fake excitement at 5:25am.

I set out for the Hudson River Path as I knew that the sight of water would make me smile on this early morning and I’d be able to enjoy the path with other runners.

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It was the perfect morning for a run! The temperatures and humidity were lower than normal and the sun was shining!

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The sign below is right. A run along the water is a great way to unwind or get ready for the day!

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Why hello, New Jersey! You look quite pretty in the morning sun!

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Luckily, the water fountains were working along the path. I stopped 3 times for water and a one minute stretch break.

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By the end of the 6.02 miles I was sweaty but filled with smiles and a kick ass attitude!

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While I definitely need to figure out the fueling part of the equation, now I have a wonderful and scenic 6 mile route that I can enjoy each week and know exactly what time I have to wake up in order to make it to work on time.  I think I’ll try eating a piece of toast or half a banana before next week’s run.

Today’s splits weren’t too bad either:

6.02 miles 10:02 average pace

Mile 1 10:03

Mile 2 9:57

Mile 3 9:56

Mile 4 10:00

Mile 5 10:01

Mile 6 10:04

A longer morning run also means that my stomach has been screaming!

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Now I need your help! Do you have suggestions of what I should eat before 6 mile morning runs?

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Better Late Than Never: My 7 Links

I’m sure you’ve probably seen the 7 Links meme going around the internets started by TripBase. I’m a few days late to the party due to the fact that I lost over 6 months of blog posts when my blog was hacked earlier this year. I only recently realized that they are all available via Wellsphere. Therefore, I’m spending a few hours each weekend transferring these back over to my blog.

The Details around the 7 Links is as follows:

THE GOAL

To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.

THE RULES

1) Blogger is nominated to take part

2) Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category.

3) Blogger nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part.

4) These bloggers publish their 7 links and nominate another 5 more bloggers

5) And so it goes on!

6) We’ll be sharing the best posts from participating bloggers on ourblog and everyday on Facebook and Twitter at #My7Links

Theodora tagged me last week so while I’m more than a bit late, hopefully you’ll enjoy this walk down memory lane.

Most Beautiful: I absolutely love looking back on our travel posts, especially the pictures from Portland’s wine country and Seattle’s Bainbridge Island excursion. This was the first trip together that we truly captured on film and since then have enjoyed framing some of these pictures.

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Most Popular: Surprise, surprise readers enjoy it when bloggers are open and honest. Therefore, some of my most popular posts have been the ones where I’ve opened up with readers about what’s on my mind including: Confessions of a Real Person and A Few Positive Changes.

Most Controversial: I really don’t tend to write controversial posts thought I do have a few topics that I’d like to address on the blog in the future which will probably get some positive and negative feedback including why I believe in Weight Watchers.

Most Helpful: Lately, it seems like any post which includes my outfit for the day is super helpful for readers along with the increase in food photos lately. But, the post Have I Always Been a Runner received the most feedback via comments, tweets, and follow-up emails regarding how to start a running program.

Surprise Success: I never thought that my Marathon+Moderation series would take off but now, 10 weeks later, it’s still going strong! It has been a great way to give other readers and bloggers a place to share their training tips and tricks as well as allow some great ideas to develop in the comment section.

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Not Enough Recognition : Before my blog was hacked back in February, my travel posts were some of my most popular, including our trip to Seattle and Portland, Chicago, Atlanta, and Savannah. Now that my blog is backed up each day and I’ve found my old posts, I hope that the travel section will continue to be a great resource for readers and people researching different destinations, including our latest trip, Bermuda!

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Most Proud : I’m happy to say that there are many posts that I’m proud of, but the one that stands out the most is definitely my New York City Marathon Recap. November 7th, 2010 was definitely one of the most amazing days of my life. When I crossed that finish line, I did something that I never thought possible before. I think about that day every time I pass my medals or set out for a long run. oh yeah i just finished (255x289)

Question: Since I’m over a week late with this post, I’m not going to tag any other bloggers. Instead, I’d love you to tell me the one thing you like to see most on this blog so I can continue to improve it to meet readers wants and needs.

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