Tempo for the Turkey Trot

I have done pretty much zero amount of tempo or speedwork in the past way-too-long so I decided to get out there and do a tempo run.  Nothing fancy, just 6 miles in total with 3 around 7min per mile.  Nice and conservative but enough to get the heart running a bit faster.  It actually went like that for a a whole two miles too!  And then I ran straight into the Wall Of Windtm.  There was a ferocious wind whipping down the Charles that hit me like a truck and just wouldn't let up.  So my pleasant little tempo run had devolved into a battle to keep my pace and struggle forward.  Needless to say, it left me quite knackered and I could use a nap right around now.

For those of you who have been paying attention you are probably saying to yourselves right now, "Yeah, you haven't done any fast runs recently have you?!"  You are correct, I have been concentrating on taking it easy and just building up a base.  But unfortunately I have two races left this year so I can't let myself go totally to pot just yet. The Norwood Turkey Trot is only 10 days away and it could be a pivotal race in the chase for the top spot of the GNRC Grand Prix.  Currently I lead the board by a mere one point over El Presidente, but Don is knocking on the door and is only six points back.  With 5 Grand Prix race wins this season and a strategy that involves stacking the race, Don is a force to be wary of.  It looks like the winner won't be decided until we all cross the finish line at the Ho-Ho-Ho 5K in December.

Unless my strategy pays off, that is.  I will not give away the intimate details of my nefarious plot but I will say that it centers around this year's Norwood Hospital 4 miler.  I was rather irate at that race after I put in a great run but now  I'm quite happy at how it all turned out.  That race could prove to be the key to my snagging the top spot in the Grand Prix.  Only time, and two more races, will tell.  If all goes according to plan (and it rarely does) the whole thing could be decided at the Turkey Trot.  All I need is a good run.  oooh, so much mystery and drama...