Feb. 2

AM: 5-lap tempo @ Buddy Attick lake, 11 miles total

I took a solid group of guys to Buddy Attick ("The Lake"), where I ran almost every tempo run and XC workout in college--Chris, Klim, and Max, as well as Bert and Crane from the Pacers. The lake has a few small hills that get more difficult with each lap, as well as a few sharp turns. For cross-county training, there really isn't a better place I've run. Running on the road feels like a track after running here.

Klim, Bert, and Crane put on a little acceleration after the first lap; if I'd stayed with them (and that's a big "if"), I'd probably been a little over-extended. Still, despite running the last four laps solo, I was pretty consistent, running right where I wanted to (under 35:00) in 34:53. Splits: 6:52, 6:56, 6:58, 7:05, 7:00.

This is on par with some workouts late season in college, though I definitely felt I stayed within myself on this one, not turning a tempo run into a race--which happened more than once in college, I admit. That's three good workouts this week, on top of my highest mileage since last February, so I'm happy overall. In the past, running 105-110 mpw made me feel completely trashed, but that hasn't quite hit me yet, fortunately.