Notes
I texted Chapman to send me the “most badassiest workout in da club” because I “wanted to feel like I was running on fire through the deep depths of hell”. He of course, took it farther than I thought he would, and decided on a tempo OUTSIDE. I’m not gonna lie, I was not thrilled to hear that at first, but I do love a good tempo and I knew it would be a fantastic opportunity to get better. I went into it with a really great attitude (as well as many layers) and I think that really helped. The plan all along was to have chapman do it with me, but he ended up stopping after about 15 minutes due to a tight hamstring. I wasn’t really mad about it, but more so humored because he had regaled me with stories during the warmup about how whenever he tempos with a girl, they go out too fast and they end up having to cut it short, and now it was HIM who couldn’t handle it. So, I refused to let his premature exit stop me because I was not about to be another statistic in his story and I wanted to give him a new story to tell- The time a girl absolutely whooped his ass in a tempo. Just kidding, I was glad he was doing what was best for him and told him not to worry about it. I knew I could hold my own.
Anyway, the first 3 miles were an absolute doozy. Started off faster than I normally do, but it felt pretty relaxed and Chapman and I were just chatting away until he dropped off. He also almost ate shit on some ice during mile 2. The fourth mile got a little tough as I was running straight into the wind for almost the entirety of it, plus my eyelashes had frozen over at this point so it was kind of hard to see. I did the big loop of RR, and had just finished up mile 4 when I got back to the start of RR. Chapman was just waiting there and asked if I was stopping. I don’t know who he thinks I am, but I said I was going 5 miles and I’m a woman of my words. So then I went another. It was tough but I still felt smooth enough to pick it up and make it hurt a little more.
Overall, really awesome day! It wasn’t my longest tempo technically, but my fastest paced tempo for a fairly long duration. I did it in the bitter cold with a real feel of -21 and a good chunk of it solo. I made it to the maximum (Chapman said base it off of miles rather than minutes) and I built/maintained pretty well. Chapman felt bad afterwards about ditching; Finally the tables were turned, and I was the one who had to keep telling him to stop saying sorry. I actually ended up having a lot of fun with it anyway.
I have mastered the art of tempos. Tempos are all about discipline and being mentally tough, and that is the one thing I can pride myself on. I do not need anyone to help me run faster or encourage me; I can push myself on my own and keep my head in the game when no one is watching. I’ll never be the fastest in any event or win a race or have the best kick, but I can always be counted on to finish the work I have started and do what I set out to do, no matter the physical, mental, or environmental factors/circumstances. I think I really showed that today and reaffirmed to myself that I am physically and mentally tough enough to do something special.