Like a record baby! Right Round Round Round!

Today's workout was supposed to be 10 miles with 5 at tempo pace, which I do at the McCarren Park track -- round and round and round for 20 laps. There's a 7 mile tempo later in the schedule; I may have to come up with a different system by then . . . 28 laps?!? Oh my! Because I missed a turn, the overall distance was closer to 11 than 10, and my 2.5 mile warmup turned into a 3.2 mile warm-up, which I guess is ok. More warmup's better, right?

From the apartment, I went straight down Metopolitan Ave to Kent Street. Kent's an odd street along the Williamsburg waterfront. The pavement's been torn out mostly and the lots closest to the river either hold vacant warehouses that are clearly being stripped out to make room for future yuppie condos or lots that have been leveled and cleared to make room for future yuppie condos. Off the side streets are warehouses that now house stores (some vacant) that will cater to the people who will live in the future yuppie condos. Because Kent's on the water though, it provides clear panoramic views of the entirety of Manhattan below, say, 50th Street. Hopefully, when they start building highrises there, they'll at least build some type of waterfront park that has public access and a bike path. Also, hopefully by that point Erin and I will have enough cash socked away for a down payment on a future yuppie condo. Finger's crossed.

The tempo run went fantastically. The first lap was a little quick, 1:32 instead of 1:40, but by the second lap I'd settled into a steady 1:38-1:40 pace. Felt much stronger this time that two weeks ago too. Unlike last time, where it took a while to find the rhythm, I settled into the fast pace almost immediately and held it strong for most of the run without much difficulty. On the other hand, like last time, I started to struggle a little about a 1.25 miles from the end (but, obvously, this time that was a mile farther along), which isn't surprising to me. However, I held onto the pace knowing that by the time there were only 3 laps left I'd be close enough to home to be mentally over it. Two tough laps out of twenty? I think I can handle that. And if the marathon only involves 800 meters of toughness, I'll be golden!

10.7 miles with 5@32:52 (6:34/mile)