10 miles at 7:20 average pace. Much better. Last tempo and last workout before NJ. Splits started off slow: 7:24, 7:21, 7:27, 7:19, 7:25, 7:21, 7:26, 7:15, 7:15, 7:08. I tried to start off comfortably hard, but not too hard, as I have been concerned about pushing my body over the edge into overtraining land. There was also a very cold and strongish wind of about 15mph that made it difficult to warm up! The last three miles I was trying to picture myself feeling really tired but finishing strong at the marathon. As I warmed up, the miles became a lot easier, and I relaxed into the run. I had a few little mantras going, and tried to relax my hands, arms and upper body as I moved into the pace. The last mile felt hard, but great to finish the run at that pace (around halfway between HM and MP) especially as it was going into the wind. **Comparing this to my other good 10-mile tempo (7:16) versus some shittier runs Ive had recently, I see a pattern. Both tempos were run after eating a huge sweet potato with my dinner the night before. I am a little bit ashamed to say, but I do not think I have been eating enough - especially enough carbs. I have been wanting to make sure I dont pack on the marathon pounds, but in doing so, a couple of my workouts have suffered. When I have eaten right, my performance has been great.
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