Tuesday 7/7/15 - 4x800 + 8x400 track workout

After work, I took the T over to the Madison Park track behind the Reggie Lewis Center for practice with the GBTC. Everyone met in the parking lot, and we chatted for a bit before heading out for a 3.25 mi warm up at 7:00 pace which included a quick pit stop at the Reggie Lewis Center. Once we got back to the track, I did a few drills and joined up with a group during the 10K workout which was 4 x 800m followed by 6-8 x 400m with 200m jogging rest in between. Splits below.

800s: 2:25, 2:26, 2:26, 2:26
400s: 72, 72, 71, 71, 70, 70, 72, 72

Overall, I was very pleased with the effort. I was a bit disappointed that the workout was so similar to last week, but as many of the guys are prepping for Club Nationals this weekend, I don't think they wanted to change things up too much. Regardless, it was a solid workout, and for me, it varied from last because I didn't have Adam to run with. He opted to run 1000s at an easier effort so that he wouldn't take anything away from the upcoming race this weekend. He ran just off my shoulder for the first 800, but after that, I was more or less alone during the repeats. Thankfully, I did have a few guys to run with on 200m rest. Erik Hinrichsen (coming of a great race at the Loon Mountain Race which served as the NE Championship this year) and Ian Neill (who ran the Boston Marathon this year and is prepping for the Chicago Marathon) were both doing the 10K workout as well, and they caught up and jogged with me during the rests so.

This workout took quite a bit out of me, and I was very happy that I was able to maintain the splits without anyone else to share the pace load with. I goofed up a bit on the last two 400s, but I wasn't all that worried about it. I had been considering finishing my workout after 6 x 400 which is why I ramped up to 70 second quarters for repeats 5 and 6. After that, Erik ended his workout, and I was on the verge of ending mine when I realized that Ian was going to follow through with the last 2 400s. I decided to join him, but I also made sure that I didn't push beyond my limit. I couldn't maintain 2 more 70 second splits, so I backed off to 72s. When I finished up, I was really glad that I did the final 2.

After the workout, we joined a few other members of the team for a mile cool down on the track before I made my way back to my apartment at ancient marathoner pace. I followed the same route as last week which goes down Tremont, cuts through Bay Bay to Boylston, over to the Commons, then on to Faneuil Hall enroute to the North End. 13.25 miles on the day. 

Tuesday 6/30/15 - (800,400,400) x4 track workout

After work, I took the T over to the Madison Park track behind the Reggie Lewis Center for practice with the GBTC. Everyone met in the parking lot, and we chatted for a bit before heading out for a 3.5 mi warm up at 6:45 pace which included a quick pit stop at the Reggie Lewis Center. It's really nice having the RLC right there so you can use the bathroom and what not before the workout. Once we got back to the track, Adam Pacheck and I then did a few drills and got right into the 10K workout which was (800m,400m,400m) x4 with 200m jogging rest in between. Splits below.

2:26, 72, 71, 2:25, 71, 71, 2:23, 70, 70, 2:23, 70, 62

The workout went really well, and I felt great through out. I was also able to pull my weight this week as I alternated the pacing duty with Adam. The goal was to hit 2:26 for the first couple 800s and 71-72 for the first couple 400s then bring the pace down slightly over the second half of the workout if we were feeling good. We hit the splits perfectly, and I didn't have any trouble maintaining the effort. When we came up to the last 400, we were debating whether or not to run another set, but instead, we decided to just put the hammer down on the final 400. We had already done over 5 miles of solid effort on the track, and I felt like a hard 400 would be a fitting end. Taking into account the short rest, I'm really happy with this workout. 

After the workout, we joined a few other members of the team for a 1.75 mile cool down on the track before I made my way back to my apartment. I was still feeling good, so I decided to jog back to the North End again. I took a much more direct route this time though and saved myself a mile or two. While running down Tremont isn't as fun as running through the Fens to Fenway and Comm Ave, I was glad to get home a bit quicker. 14.25 miles on the day. 

Tuesday 6/24/15 - 8 x 800 track workout

After two years of holding back from joining a track club, I decided it was finally time, and I joined the Greater Boston Track Club last week. Tonight was my first scheduled practice with the team, but unfortunately, the weather report wasn't really cooperating. All of the reports I looked at showed 100% chance of thunder storms and 20+ mph winds. So, I wasn't all that surprised when I learned that practice was cancelled. Although none of the coaches were going to the track, a few of the team members were going to give the workout a shot. I took a look outside at 6:00 and decided to head over to the Madison Park track behind the Reggie Lewis Center where GBTC holds their practices. I packed light and planned on running in the rain as long as the lightning held off. I assumed that the distance team did a group warm up, so rather than running to the track, I took the T to Ruggles and walked over.

I was there a bit early, and with the rain was holding off, I was optimistic that we'd be able to get a good workout in. I hung out around the track for a bit and did some stretching until the first members of the middle distance/sprinting group arrived. They let me know that the distance guys usually met in the parking lot before their workout. I jogged over but missed them. Not a big deal. I just did my own 2.5 mile warm up around the track. As I was warming up, I actually got a bit nervous. It has been such a long time since I've done a track workout in a group, and I was worried I was going to embarrass myself by having a bad workout or something. It didn't help that I had eaten to much during the day, and my stomach wasn't feeling great.

The distance guys came back from their warm up shortly after I finished mine. I introduced myself as the new guy, everyone was really nice as we chatted for a bit, then we got right into the workout. There were 7-8 guys doing a 10K workout while a couple others were doing a 4 mile tempo. I opted for the 10K workout which was (800 at 10K pace, 400 jogging rest, 800 at 5K pace, 400 jogging rest) x 4. Eight 800s total with four at 10K pace and four at 5K pace. We all started at the same time, but the group quickly started to separate as a number of the guys are focused on longer distances and were running slower splits. Adam Pacheck and Michael Carlone said there were looking to do splits between 2:20 - 2:30, so I went along with them. My splits below.

800s at 10K pace: 2:30, 2:32, 2:31, 2:27
800s at 5K pace: 2:21, 2:27, 2:27, 2:24

The rain ended up holding off for the entire night. I never felt a drop. The sun was even out at times. Granted, you could see the thunder clouds off in the distance. With no rain, the workout felt hot and muggy. Temps were in the 80s and the humidity was way up there. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like it effected me as much as usual. Adam was splitting most of the repeats 3 - 4 seconds faster than I was, so I just let him dictate the pace while trying to keep the gap consistent. I got a bit aggressive during the first 5k pace 800, but I settled things down and felt really good throughout the workout.

After the workout, I jogged around the track for a mile with the rest of the team before making my way back to the North End. My stomach wasn't feeling great, but I needed to get a few more miles in for my cool down. I figured that I'd jog to Fenway and grab the T from there or something but, I ended up just jogging all the way back to the North End. I didn't really want to get on the T in running clothes while dripping sweat. Thankfully, my stomach, legs and heel held up well, but I did have to take things very slow. I was also cursing myself for not thinking to bring water to practice. I'll definitely have to do that next time. After 4 miles, I was getting pretty dehydrated, so I swung by Alie's for a quick drink before finally making it back to the North End at about 9:15. Overall, great workout and feeling really upbeat. 13.5 miles on the day.

Wednesday 6/17/15 - 8 x 1000 track workout

Vasilis and I headed over to the Charlestown High School track for a workout today. We met up in the North End and jogged over into Charlestown as our warm up. Vasilis switched into spikes (I was already in my Flyknit Ones), we did a few quick drills, and then we got right into the workout. The plan was to run some fairly quick 1000s. Neither of us have had a training partner during a track workout in a while (it had actually been since college for me), and we were both looking to do some faster paces since we had someone to run with. I hadn't done any work below 5 minute pace yet this year, so I was content with trying to dip a bit below 75 second quarters to shake off the rust. The goal going into the workout was to start off around 5 minute pace (3:07 for 1000) and judge the effort from there. Rest was a 200m jog followed by 30 - 45 second standing rest. So, more or less, it was a full rest. Splits below.

1000s - 3:02, 3:03, 3:07, 3:05, 3:03, 3:05, 3:03, 2:52.

We alternated taking the lead every 400 meters, and the first one was mine. There wasn't much wind, but it was nice having someone else leading half the workout so you didn't have to think about the pace the whole time. I got a bit excited on that first 400 which resulted in the first 1000 being a bit quicker than planned. Trying to compensate, I slowed the pace down in the 3rd repeat, but we sped things back up after that to a comfortable zone of 3:03 - 3:05. It was definitely a solid effort, but I didn't feel like I had to go to the well until the final 1000 when we decided to drop the hammer for a bit of fun. We ran at a normal pace for the first 600m and split 1:48, then went pretty much all out over the last 400m for a final quarter of 64.

We were both feeling the effort as we cooled down around Charlestown at ancient marathoner pace. I was hoping for a slightly longer cool down to make up some miles, but I could only manage 2.5. My stomach was beginning to fight me, and I figured there was no reason to push it just to get in some junk miles. Overall, great workout. It felt good to get on the track with another runner and push the effort a bit. 10.25 miles on the day.

Saturday 6/6/15 - 6 x 1200m

Not an encouraging workout today. I was back in Rochester, so I headed over the Spaulding High School track in the morning. After a 3 mi warm up through the Pines and the surrounding neighborhood at 6:40 pace, I put on my Nike Flyknit Lunar 1+ and got right on the track. My plan was to run a similar workout to the 4 x 1600m 10K workout that I ran last week. However, today's goal was 6 x 1200m at 5:05 pace with 600m rest at 6:00 pace. Since last weeks workout had gone so well in the rain, I thought today would be just as easy with the weather actually cooperating. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out that way. Splits below. I switched the final 600m rest with a 400m rest so that the workout would be exactly 10K.

1200,600,1200,600,1200,600,1200,600,1200,400,1200

1200s: 3:47, 3:51, 3:57, 4:05, 4:09, 4:08
600s: 2:09, 2:18, 2:26, 2:28
400: 1:39
Total for 10K: 34:57

The workout started off well enough as I was able to hit the splits for the first 1200 and rest. The effort felt a bit fast, but I didn't foresee any problems. By the second 1200, I knew that I would need to slow the pace. I had increased the pace from last week's workout (5:10 to 5:05), and during that second 1200, it became clear that I wouldn't be able to hold it. Not a major issue. I backed off to 5:10 which felt hard but not overly so. By the third 1200, I felt like the whole workout had gone out the window. After that, I struggled with the idea of just finishing, and my pace during the rest of the workout dropped dramatically.

I just didn't have it today. My legs felt sluggish and refused to hold the speed. I suppose that is the difference between coming off a day with no running, like I did last week, and coming off an 11+ miler only 12 hours before. I'm really trying to move on from this workout and not think about it, but it did shake my confidence a bit. If you had asked me after last week's workout, I would have said 32 flat wasn't out of the question for the Market Square Day 10K next weekend. After today's workout, I fear that breaking 33:00 could be difficult.

Finished up with a 3 mile cool down at ancient marathoner pace for 12.2 miles on the day.

Sunday 5/31/15 - 4 x 1600m

Very interesting day for a track workout as it was 60 degrees with the occasional ABSOLUTE DOWNPOUR. When I started my warm up at 3:30, the rain was really coming down hard, and there were flash flood warnings all around Boston. As I jogged over to the Charlestown track, I was livid with myself for messing things up on Friday and not being able to run on Saturday when it was bright and sunny. I was certain that this workout was destined to be awful, and my ipod dying after 2 miles didn't help matters. I got to the track and found about an inch of water covering turn 2.. at least I had the track to myself? I tossed my keys and ipod under the bleachers, did some strides, and got right into the workout.

I was up in the air about what to do for a workout this week. With Market Square Day 10K only 2 weeks away, I wanted to add some volume to this workout, so I opted for a 10K variation of my previous 5K workouts. I was also unsure if I should go with 1200s or 1600s at 5:00 or 5:10. I decided on 1600s because 1200s felt like the easy option, and for pace, I went with 5:10 as it is my current goal pace for 10K.

The rain let up a bit after the first 1600, and the workout went surprisingly well. I felt comfortable at 5:10, and the 800 meter rest at 6:00 pace actually felt like a rest. Splits below. I added a 400 at the end to make the workout a full 10K.

1600,800,1600,800,1600,800,1600,800,400

1600s: 5:10, 5:08, 5:10, 5:08
800s: 2:58, 2;54, 2:57, 2:57
400: 70
Total for 10K: 33:31

Overall, I felt really good about this workout. My only issue was whether or not it was too easy. I felt relaxed and in control for the 1600s, but in retrospect, the 800 meter rest seemed like it may have been too long. 600 meters may have been a better option. I decided to go with 800 meters because 400 meters at 6:00 pace had been very difficult during the 4 x 800 meter workout that I did 2 weeks ago. Surprisingly, I think the conditions were actually a factor in making the workout easier today. Although 60 degrees and raining isn't pleasant, it is probably more suitable for a workout than 80 degrees with the sun beating down. 11.5 miles on the day.

Sunday 5/17/15 - 4 x 800m

With no race again this weekend, I headed over to the Charlestown High School track for a workout. Weather was a bit warm for this early in the year, but conditions were about as good as you can hope for: sunny and very little wind. Ran over to the high school as a 3.5 mile warm up at 6:20 pace and got right into the workout. The plan was very similar to last week with repeats at 5:00 pace and rest at 6:00 pace, but instead of 8 x 400m with 200m rest, I did 4 x 800m with 400m rest. The first two 800s and 400s were smooth and right on pace, but I started to struggle on the 800s after that. I had my heart rate monitor on for the work out, and it is very telling. For the first 2 rest periods, my heart rate dropped back down to mid 160s, but for the final 2 rest periods, it never went below 170. As the workout went on, it was more and more difficult to keep the rest at 6:00 pace which in turn made it harder and harder to keep pace on the 800s. As a result, I got slower and slower on the 800s. Similar to last week, I added an extra 200m to make the workout exactly 5,000m. Splits below.

800s: 2:28, 2:31, 2:34, 2:36
400s: 1:28, 1:31, 1:31, 1:31
200: 38
Total for 5000: 16:50

I was a bit disappointed with the workout. I never really felt comfortable and wasn't able to hit the splits I wanted. On the upside, my legs and heel weren't sore at all. I'll take the victories I can get. I need to remind myself that I'm still getting back into the swing of things, and it is going to take time. 4.5 mile cool down at ancient marathoner pace. 11.1 miles on the day.

Saturday 5/9/15 - 8 x 400m

For the last 3 years, repeat 400s has been my first track workout of the year, and I decided to keep that tradition rolling again this year. However, I decided to change things up a bit. In previous years, the workout had been related to how fast I could run 400 meters not how fast I could run 5,000 meters. As a result, I saw huge leaps in my ability to run 400s as the year went on, but my 5K times improved only slightly. I'm hoping to change that this year.

2012 - 10 x 400m. Average 67 seconds with full recovery

2013 - 10 x 400m. Average 66 seconds with full recovery

2014 - 12 x 400m. Average 68 seconds with full recovery (wind was a factor)

Plan for 2015 - 8 x 400m at 75 with 200m recovery at 6:00 pace. 

Obviously, I am not in as fit as I was in the past 3 years and wouldn't be able to handle 67-68 second 400s right now regardless, but I wanted to reduce the recovery and focus on running the 400s at my current goal 5K pace of 5:00. Going into the workout, I thought it may be a bit aggressive given where I am in my training, but I wanted to give it a try.

The weather was great if not a bit on the warm side at about 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky and maybe a light wind. I started my warm up on the trails in the Pines next to Spaulding High School at 6:30 pace but switched to running in the neighborhood near the school after a mile or so because my legs were feeling a bit tired. 4.5 miles total for the warm up before swinging by my car to change into my Flyknit Lunar 1+ and jogging to the track. I got right into the workout and hit the splits below.

400s: 75,75,76,76,76,75,76,76
200s: 43,41,48,48,47,45,46,47,38
5000: 16:50

After the first couple, I realized that keeping the recovery at 6:00 pace was going to be the hardest part, and I backed off a bit on the rest to ensure that I'd be able to finish the workout. Halfway through the workout, I was really starting to feel the effort, and I struggled to keep myself relaxed. I had to push through the last couple 400s, but I was able to keep the pace fairly close to the goal. I finished off with one last hard 200 (or at least as much as I had left) to make the workout an even 5,000 meters. Overall, it felt like I put a lot of effort in and felt properly drained afterward. I was a bit disappointed with the splits and overall time (I had 16:30 in the back of my head), but I felt pretty good about the workout.

After the workout, I jogged back to my car to switch back into my trainers and meandered along for 3 miles at ancient marathoner pace. Legs were toast. Heel felt fine though!!! 11 miles on the day.  

Sunday 6/1 - Speed Workout

Didn't get up quite as early as I hoped today. Made it to the Charlestown track by 10am though, and luckily, there weren't any games going on in the infield. There were 4 elementary school track kids doing a workout with their coach, but they were really cool. I talked to them a bit during my recoveries. They were doing repeat 100s and working on their turns.

The weather was perfect at 65 and Sunny with no wind. I will admit it felt warmer than it was with no clouds, but it wasn't an issue. After a 2.25 mile warm up at 5:50 pace, my workout plan for today was 5 x 1 Mile with full recovery of 3.5 minute rest. When I do this workout, I usually just run 1600s, but I decided to do full miles today. So, for lap splits, I just counted the extra 9 meters all in the first lap since I usually start too fast anyway. For pace, I wanted to shoot for 71 seconds laps and 4:45 mile pace. Per usual, my splits were all over the place. During the 1st repeat, I started with two 69 second laps before finding the pace and finishing in 4:40. I hit my marks all the way through the 2nd mile for a 4:45. I felt good at that point, but I could tell I was going to pay the price for starting off to fast in the 1st mile. For my 3rd and 4th miles, I backed off to 72-73 second laps, and pushed the last lap to finish in 4:47 and 4:49. For the final repeat, I really wanted to bring it back down to 4:45. I was feeling fairly tired by that point and didn't think I could hold 71s the whole time. So I started off with 72s and made up the difference in the last lap to finish on pace with a 4:45. (4:40, 4:45, 4:47, 4:49, 4:45)

My pacing was inconsistent during this workout, but it averaged out to the goal pace. So while it would have been nice to run evenly throughout, I was happy overall. I ran some good splits for my current fitness level, and it felt like a very solid effort. I could definitely feel the effects of the workout during the 3.25 mile cooldown as I slowly made my way home at ancient marathoner pace. I think the average pace was around 8 minute pace. Definitely the slowest miles I've run over the last 2 years, but I didn't see any need to pick up the pace on the cooldown. 10.5 miles all together.

I also got out for an easy 15 mile bike ride later in the day. I had been sitting around doing a movie marathon all day after my workout and was feeling a bit lazy. I have also been itching to get back on the bike anyway. It was such a nice day that I couldn't resist. It wasn't much of a workout anyway. More of just a shake out. Felt really good after, so I did a quick core workout as well.

Saturday 5/24 - Track Workout

Massive confidence building workout today.

My friends have been planning a "Useless Olympics" for a few months now. It is a competition of two person teams in 6 events that by most standards are considered useless skills i.e. mini golf, bowling, darts, etc. The competition is today, and they are taking it seriously. Intimidation videos, matching uniforms, the whole nine yards. It's shaping up to be an all day event, so I had to get my workout in this morning. After my last few workouts on the Charlestown track, the morning was probably a good idea anyway to try to avoid a kids' lacrosse or soccer game on the infield.

I was up by 8am and running by 8:30. It was a great day for a track workout at 55 and overcast with only a mild wind. 2.25 mile warm up to the track at 6:00 pace, and my hopes were confirmed when I got there. No games going on in the infield, and only a few walkers scattered around the track. I did a few warm up exercises and got right into the workout. The plan was 3 x 3200 with full recovery of 5 minutes walking/jogging. I haven't done this workout since my senior year of high school, so I was a bit uncertain on what the pace should be. I thought 5:00 might be a little aggressive but wanted to give it a shot as I was looking to find out exactly where my fitness level was. Per usual, I rocketed out way too fast for the first 400 in 71 seconds but fell into the pace surprisingly quick after that. It felt like a solid effort but didn't feel like I was straining. Came through the first 3200 in 9:59 and felt pretty good. I wasn't winded, and after 2 minutes, I really just wanted to get started on the next repeat. I thought better of it though since I still had 4 miles left. During the 2nd 3200, I started to realize that I would be able to hold the goal pace for all 3 repeats. I went out in 73 seconds and dropped into the pace of 75 seconds per lap which I held perfectly for the next 7 laps to split 9:58 for the 2nd 3200. I could feel myself pick up the effort during the last 2 laps of the 2nd repeat, but I still felt really good. For the last 3200, I kept the pace even from the beginning but started to dip over the goal pace during laps 5, 6, and 7 as I rattled off 76s. I was only 3 seconds back though, and the negative splits I had going over the first 2 repeats motivated me to push the final lap. Finished up with a 9:57.

After not quite meeting my expectations during the first 3 speed workouts of the year, it felt really good to not only hit my marks but also negative split the workout with 9:59, 9:58, 9:57. This was a big time confidence boost. I still have work to do as I progress through my training, but I think I'll be ready to start racing soon. Enjoyed the 2.25 mile cool down at 7:15 pace with a grin on my face. 10.5 miles on the day.

Sunday 5/18 - Speed Workout

The workout was 30 x 200 meters with 100 meter jogging rest at the Charlestown Track. After my run yesterday, I was really hoping to avoid people at the track. Especially since this track can get extremely crowded even though no one runs or walks on it. The plan was to wake up early and get the workout done before anyone else got there. No dice. I didn't end up heading over to the track until noon, so any people that I had to deal with on the track would be my own fault. There was a kids' lacrosse game going on, and per usual, there were parents scattered along the straightaways in various lanes and younger siblings practicing their lacrosse skills on the turns or riding scooters and bikes in a general serpentine pattern on the track. It really didn't get to me that much today though. I should have learned my lesson two weeks ago, and I knew it was my fault which made it a bit easier to deal with. As a result however, my 200s may have been slightly long or short depending on where I started. For each repeat, I tried to pick a lane that I would be able to run in for a full 200 meters, but it didn't always work out as I had to cut inside or outside to avoid kids.

I had done the same workout last year, but I didn't look at my notes on it until after I was done with the workout today. As it turns out, I did this workout on the exact same weekend last year, and my notes are surprisingly similar. I started with a 2.5 mile warm up at 5:55, did a few knee highs and butt kicks, and got right into the workout. The goal pace was 34 seconds per 200 which I accomplished with an average of 34 low. The actual splits were:

31,34,33,34,35,34,32,34,33,35,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,34,35,34,34,34,34,35,34,34,34,34,29.

I obviously had an issue with finding the pace for the first 10 repeats but eventually evened out. The 100 meter jogging rest slowly turned from 6 minute pace to 7ish, but overall, the workout didn't feel that difficult. I probably should have attempted to throw in a few more 33s after the first 20 repeats considering that my legs don't feel sore at all the day after the workout. The fact that this workout has such close results to last year's gives me hope though. Perhaps my speed isn't too far off from where it was last year. I just need to work on sustainable speed.

The 2.5 mile cooldown back to my apartment was at ancient marathoner pace. By far the slowest miles I've run in the last year. However, I think this was more a matter of getting stuck in that pace from the 100 meter jogging rest rather than actually being tired. 10.5 miles on the day.

Sunday 5/11 - Speed Workout

75 and Sunny with a decent breeze at the Spaulding High School track in Rochester, NH.

Today definitely ended up being a fitness test. Result? I’ve still got work to do. 2.25 mile warm up on the trails through the Pines near Spaulding at 6:20 pace before heading over to the track. For the workout last weekend, I just switched into my pair of Nike Flyknit Lunar 1+ which are about 8oz , but I decided to put on my New Balance MR1000 racing spikes today. While I like them, they’ve caused my toes to bleed on a few occasions. This isn’t really out of the ordinary with racing spikes and isn’t very painful, but it is a bit unsettling to look down in the middle of a workout and see blood seeping through the bright yellow outers.

The workout was a reverse ladder of Mile, 1200, 800, 400, 400, 800, 1200, Mile, and the 1st 1200 and last Mile were struggle city. The rest was 3 min, 2 min, 90 sec, 60 sec, 90 sec, 2 min, and I stayed fairly close to the goal pace of 71 sec per lap with the exception of the last mile. The real issue being that the first mile took a lot more out of me than I expected. It was the fastest mile I had run in a year, but I misjudged how much a 4:44 mile would take out of me. It was a big wake up call, and I didn’t feel comfortable in the workout until the 2nd 400. Overall, I wasn’t disappointed. The workout just made me realize that I’m not quite as far along as I thought. Splits were 4:44, 3:35, 2:23, 70, 70, 2:23, 3:35, 4:50. By the last mile, I could tell my pace would be a bit slow, but I was pretty happy to just finish up the workout without bailing. 3 mile cool down through the Pines at 7:30 pace before heading back to my parent’s house for a Mother’s Day lunch. 10.25 miles total.

Sunday 5/4 - Speed Workout

I finally felt ready for my first speed workout of the year this weekend. Three weeks ago, I did a few runs with pick-ups in the middle. Just 10 x 30 seconds on/30 seconds off with the on pace being a bit below 5 minute pace. I could tell that my legs weren't quite up for a full workout at that point, but after the solid week I had this week, I thought I'd give it a go and see how things turned out. I decided to do the workout on Sunday rather than Saturday because 1. the weather looked like it would be better on Sunday and 2. I knew I was going out Friday night. Unfortunately, Sunday ended up being the wrong choice. While the temperature wasn't an issue at 62 degrees, the wind had returned to the tune of 20+ miles per hour, and to me, there is no worse run than a speed workout on a windy day. The wind just always throws off my stride and demoralizes me. Plus, slower splits are never fun. Running a few quick splits can change a speed workout from bearable to satisfying.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this workout. My goal was to run a benchmark workout that I've done often in the past in order to judge my fitness and, hopefully, build some confidence. The workout plan was 12 x 400 with a split range of 66-67. After my first 400, I knew keeping it to 66 and 67 was out the window. Along with the 20+ mph wind down the back stretch, I also had a kids' lacrosse game to contend with. There were about 20 or so parents on each of the straightaways taking up the first four lanes. In retrospect, I should have just done the whole workout in lane 5, but apparently, I'm not that smart. Something about wanting to start and stop in the same place..... Anyway, I ran the turns in lane 1 and moved out to lane 5 on the straights. All in all, I doubt it really slowed me down that much, but worrying about slamming into the kids riding their bikes and scooters on the track may have.

2.25 mi warm up at 5:50 pace.
12 x 400 67-68-68-68-68-68-68-70-69-67-69-69
4.25 mi cool down at 6:20 pace
9.5 mi total

During the workout, I wasn't too happy with the splits I was running, but now that I've had some time to reflect, I think it could have been worse. My legs feel really good for the day after a workout, and while the pace was slower than I had hoped, I never felt like I was winded.