I was a bit nervous about my tempo run this morning, which I woke up at 6:00 for. Even though my body battery has been relatively high and more stable recently compared to early June, I’ve been feeling quite tired. Maybe it’s because I’ve been steadily increasing my training load.

The tempo run programme was 2K conversational warm-up run, 2K @5:20min/km then 2min rest, another 2K @5:20min/km then 2min rest, then a 1.5K conversational cool-down. I wasn’t sure I could sustain 5:20min/km for 2K, because I’m not used to fast runs for such a long distance. The Yassos I’m used to in my previous Garmin coach programmes are 800M, with 3 min breaks in between, and Foundation Track usually has intervals for 3, 4, 5, or 6 minutes, which is nowhere near 2K at my pace. And in Hyrox, I am only used to running 1K between stations, and even then, I do it at a slower pace when I’m racing singles, and even if I run at a faster pace in doubles, I get a break during the station.

But I decided to just run at a comfortable-ish fast pace (targeting 5:20-5:30min/km), and see how many laps I can get around the track at that approximate pace, and I told myself to take it a lap at a time, and I will slow down if I have to. No shame in slowing down, as long as I just try. I listened to my playlist as usual, and I tried to follow the tips I read on an Insta reel a few weeks back – think of running as a “backwards” movement – torso straight, chest back, and your feet and legs are pushing the ground backwards (rather than pulling your body forward)… which helps me get a mid-foot strike, and does help me run faster. In the end, I managed to achieve my pace targets, and got my “Pace on point” affirmation from Runna. Maybe I need to have more confidence in myself.

I initially wanted to go for the Thursday evening Hyrox class, but I was feeling tired, and Garmin said I need 40+ hours’ recovery time, so I decided give myself a break. I skipped it, and had drinks with a girl who’s visiting and another gym girl. I wore my cute low back summer shift, which was a hit with the girls. One of the girls was like, “Wow, you look nice! You’re dressed very differently from usual.” I rarely go out, and rarely have a reason to dress up, so the drinks were the perfect excuse. It’s always more fun to go out in summer anyway – I’m a tropical girl, and love not having to bundle up.

I hope I recharge overnight, as my plan is for another early morning tempo run.