Notes
Longest tempo I have ever done. Goal was to go out at 4:00 pace and try to hold on for the 10K. Warm up felt pretty relaxed and condiditons were just about ideal for this time of year. There was a slight wind from the west which I didn't notice too much in the first 5K but running the back half I definitely felt less air resistance which allowed me to hit the big negative split. There were some puddles but after a couple of K I pretty much just decided to run through them.
The start was a little dicey; I made sure to look at my watch to try to lock in the pace. Had problems establishing a good breathing pattern but by 2K I started feeling more comfortable. Continued pushing down the hill in the 4th km and just wanted to make it to turnaround with a good time and then re-evaluate. The 5th km maybe had the most wind as I slowed a bit but once I turned and felt no air resistance I took off. Was able to maintain close to 4:00 pace up the hill in the 7th km without leaving tempo zone. This gave me confidence to continue pushing hard in the 8th km. Relaxed a bit in the 9th before again pushing a bit in the final km. Finished strong and went immediately into a jog. Never left tempo zone and felt like I could have actually done another km or two. By far the best tempo I have ever done as I was in a good groove for most of the run, enjoying it and feeling as relaxed as I could during a tempo.