Today's NRC run was 'Tempo run with Emily Infeld'. I'm not sure I've done a tempo run before, the idea is a bit daunting but, in the spirit of sort-of following the NRC 10k plan this was the next one on the list.
It was a lovely sunny day but very blustery, the sort of wind that always seems to be coming from the wrong direction. I followed Emily's guidance (and Coach B's but he was a bit quieter than usual today), starting off for a very slow and comfortable warm up, then some stretches, then into the Tempo Run itself, 25 minutes at 'tempo' pace. As usual when I'm doing a guided run, Mr Y did his own thing and disappeared into the distance.
We're now home again, so we ran along the quay by our local river as the fields are waterlogged. There was a bit of a false start as I'd forgotten to choose music beforehand so I slowed right down while searching BBC Sounds for a good Pacesetter mix. Once that was sorted out I settled to a good, steady pace. I'd worked out roughly what my tempo pace should be but found myself running a bit quicker to get to the 'comfortable with being uncomfortable' feeling. I expected to feel a bit exhausted at the end but quite the opposite, I knew I'd had a run but nothing terrible. Should I have suffered more?
As always my stomach was empty and by the last bit of the run my mind was on breakfast even though my body was happy running. So I began to wonder, what's your favourite post run breakfast?
I used to have porridge with fruit, made with milk, but then I read that you should eat protein after a run to help recovery. Now my go-to is 2 eggs, with either toast, fried bread or some sort of fried potato (hash browns or Ikea potato rosti). If I have avocado, smoked salmon or saucisson sec in the fridge they goes very well too. Sometimes I'll add a few cherry tomatoes but I've got a bit of a weird aversion to eating tomato and egg together, (no idea why and I am getting over it) but they do look pretty. Sometimes I'll even garnish it with some cress or rocket leaves if I'm feeling fancy!
So today my delicious breakfast was 2 fried eggs, 2 Ikea rosti, sausage and half an avocado. According to Garmin my run used 325 calories. Breakfasts like this are why we don't necessarily lose weight running 😂 but hey ho, at least I tried, there was lots of protein and good fats and anyway, it was worth it!!
What do you recommend?
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Yesletsgo
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I recommend what you already have for a post run breakfast Yesletsgo, well done on that run, 325 calories suggests you ran about 3 or 4 kilometers, looking back on several 5K runs I have ran, 380 calories is my average although some of my slower 5K runs are about 360, I have a light breakfast about one hour before I run at 8am but it's two and a half hours before parkrun on a Saturday, everyone now knows on this forum that after my Saturday and Wednesday morning runs I eat a chocolate ice cream swirl, yummy 😋.
The only time I'd eat before I run is if I'm planning to do a longer one, 7+ km. Then I'll have a very small bowl of porridge and maybe half a banana an hour or so beforehand....then have a proper breakfast afterwards
My favourite post run...Scrambled eggs on a thick slice of homemade bread with smoked salmon on top as a treat! I do love Staffordshire Oatcakes with cheese though
Porridge does not do it for me at all.. half an hour after I am really hungry again...
Your run sounds interesting and fun too...but, I am curious to know why you were unsure if you should have felt more exhausted... ?
The whole blurb about this tempo run was that you should be running at the edge of what feels comfortable, expecting to find it hard work, feeling tired at the end etc. I'd checked what pace I should aim for, which was about 8 min/km. Most of the run was under that, a lot at 7:35 ish which is faster than my normal 5k pace. This is probably because it wasn't a muddy field. I didn't want to try and go any faster as my heartrate was already slightly higher than I like, so I knew I was making an effort. At the end I felt pretty good so just wondered if I was 'doing it right'?
OOH! Now THAT'S a breakfast to be proud of!! What's the round thing above the tomato on the left LottieMW ? Another mushroom or is it sausage? You're making me hungry
A bowl of porridge laced with honey at least an hour before running; and that is it, apart from a cup of tea. Post run; flat white and triple chocolate brownie and then nothing until lunch time. Running lite !!
We eat a lot of porridge on non running days. Favourite is with mashed banana and frozen raspberries, blueberries and maybe strawberries too. We also eat buckwheat porridge (savoury) with a ton of butter and a good dollop of Greek yogurt for me. It's absolutely delicious if you add well fried mushrooms and egg too.
Now this is my sort of thread! I love a tempo run. I’m absolutely not an expert and I’m not sure whether what I’m doing is right so don’t take this as gospel! I’m usually tired afterwards in that really buzzy, energised way. The main thing is I definitely can’t talk in full sentences and my heart rate is higher as I’m running. It feels like a decent effort to keep going but an effort that’s manageable for a longish time rather than a minute or so. Tough but sustainable. I’ve really noticed I can hold it for longer the more that I’ve done it and I’m really hopeful that an assault on my 5km time after the HM might end up with a chunk off my PB.
Breakfast/brunch is my favourite meal of the day. Eggs florentine, poached eggs and avocado on toast, huevos rancheros, shakshuka…those are my favourites. The pic is a recent posh version of shakshuka which had sourdough toast, red pepper and chickpea spicy tomato stew and poached eggs. Delicious!
I so want to try shakshuka but I just don't like the look of eggs and tomatoes together, completely irrational! It looks so delicious though, if I apply my rational mind 😁
I am also doing the NRC 10K plan. I’m a couple weeks ahead maybe. I think I went a bit too hard as it went on and had to bail at 22 minutes tempo. It’s always hard to know re:pacing but for me I think when I do a parkrun that is my tempo speed, so something I can keep up for a considerable amount of time but not forever.
I don’t usually eat beforehand, but did have a banana today before I went out for the 5 mile run. It took my just under an hour. I don’t usually take water out with me on runs, but would people recommend taking water out once you hit an hour?
Oh and my long runs finish by my favourite bakery, so today I had a pain au chocolat for breakfast.
I put a recent 5k time in that felt sort of average.
I take water in one of those collapsible tube things if the weather is hot. Dead jealous of you having a bakery so near the end of your run, I have been known to casually end a run outside McDonalds if I don't feel like cooking breakfast
Once back from my runs, I stretch with two large glasses of water, with fresh lemon slices. And after I have showered I just have a protein smoothie. I love that actually.
My favourite mix is a protein powder mixed with peanut butter, an avocado, some frozen berries and almond milk. Sometimes a bit of cocoa powder and maple syrup (or stevia) , if I crave a bit of sweetness. And if I want to feel I’m drinking something bit more healthy, I add a celery stick.
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
