Unintentional Tempo Run

My local Rails to Trails trail, the Paint Creek Trail is CLEAR of snow and ice!! WOO! I couldn't resist getting out and running FAST today. I probably shouldn't have. No, I really shouldn't have. Today was supposed to be a rest day and I'm still not 100% recovered from the injury. But I got out of work early today and the sun was shining, the temp was in the mid 30s - perfect for running - and the trail head is literally in my back yard. How lucky is that!? The little runner-devil on my shoulder was so persuasive, I couldn't resist.

Whenever I go out for a run and tell myself, "I'm only going to do 4 easy miles today," those easy miles turn into speedy miles. I just can't seem to run such a short distance slowly. Anyone else have that problem? :-)

So I labeled today's run in my RW log as a "tempo" run even though it was not intended as one and, in fact, I wasn't planning on doing any speedwork for several more weeks. When I checked my average pace, it was around 7:45, which is about what I should be doing for a tempo run. I did get a little tired a few times and had to slow my pace temporarily, but I couldn't help picking it back up again once I started feeling better. What a thrill! Shame on me! hahaha!