tempo times getting progressively slower

concerned runner wrote:

I PRd my last race

That's all that matters. If the pace is getting you down, make a point of starting at a slower pace and pick it up only if you feel better. If you keep PRing, chances are you'll be in better shape, and will be able to start picking it up more. Eventually this starting pace will be too slow.

Until race results prove otherwise, it looks like whatever you're doing is working. Keep in mind also that no two workouts are the same. Less sleep, more mileage leading up to the day, stresses outside of running, etc can all have an effect on workouts. A lot of people either don't want to admit that or don't realize it.

Stop wearing a watch on tempo runs, problem solved.

effort not time wrote:

Stop wearing a watch on tempo runs, problem solved.

Actually, I don't wear a watch, but when it feels like I'm trying hard and then my coach yells out my final time when I'm done, its a little disheartening to find out that I ran slower than I did the previous week.

There is no reason to be worried at all about a few seconds of slow down in a tempo run. Tempos are not meant to be about every single mile split but rather about feeling fast and being out of your comfort zone. The fact that you ran a PR a few weeks ago tells me that the second tempo run you probably were still recovering from the previous race. There is nothing wrong with not feeling your best every week. Sometimes I would run an hour tempo at 6:00 and feel awesome and two weeks later struggle with a 4 or 5 mile tempo at the same pace. There is too many factors for you to worry about each workout, and in the grad scheme of things one or two (or even a month worth) of workouts will not mean that you are getting slower. Just stay confident and it will work out.

Have you lowered your miles over that period of time? Was your base strong enough before you started the tempos? You build your base so you can perform your tempos, you do your tempos so you can perform your intervals. You do all three so you can run quality races.

mileage man wrote:

Have you lowered your miles over that period of time? Was your base strong enough before you started the tempos? You build your base so you can perform your tempos, you do your tempos so you can perform your intervals. You do all three so you can run quality races.

I've been about consistently between 30-35 miles per week.