So, yeah. I don't ♥ speedwork yet, but I can see the writing on the wall... A friend, Forever Run (aka Sara), from the Loop told me I would love speedwork someday. That was about 18 months ago. I laughed in her face...stupid me... That is too much like saying "never." Say that word and you are sure to do exactly that! My mom always told me, "Never say never." (Of course, she said never say always either and I just did.) Sure enough the day is coming. It might as well be painted in the lanes of the track.
I still was very nervous about this week's intervals. I ended up procrastinating one day for them. However, I say it was because I wasn't feeling well. After my work of the morning was finished, the dog and I headed to the track. The plan was to run there unless it was too crowded. Otherwise we would use the bike path. It wasn't crowded, just a group playing Austrailian rules football in the infield and a few kids playing in the sand pit. I did my usual warm up--skipping, grapevines, dynamic stretching and strides. Then we began.
The first was 2 miles at 10k pace (or somewhere in the 8:30s). This scared me--8 laps trying to hold a steady pace. Not my strong suit! "Relax, find your groove." I did! It was HARD! It was great! 16:58 (8:29)
Now the die was cast. The 8:29 average for the first interval meant I needed to keep the rest in the 8:20s. No letting up! The 4 mile repeats took a lot of focus! I had finished what I expected to be the really hard interval and thought these would be easier...NOT! I followed the things I have been learning and used positive self talk. I changed my focus between internal and external stimuli based on where I was struggling. If something internal was starting to cause negativity, I looked outside myself for distraction. When it began to rain and the wind blew, I focused on cadence and relaxing my face and shoulders. It worked. I not only survived I rocked them!
Once finished, Indy and I headed back to the trail for the run home. I am not sure who was more tired. For once he didn't seem to mind the slow going! I really needed this to be a strong workout. I needed the mental focus on something other than my regular life today. Doing better emotionally and a few endorphins sure help!
Warm Up: 1.54 @ 10:08
16:58 (8:29), 8:25, 8:29, 8:22, 8:25
Cool Down: 1.46 @ 11:02
5 comments:
What was your recovery intervals? That sounds a LOT like my 3x1600's from last week. I am SO not looking forward to more of them. BUT, since I want to beat Red Lizards at the CATnip 5K in August...
Kick-butt job on holding to the 8:20's too! That is still wicked fast to me.
Recoveries were 5 min and 3 min. I kept walking during them to keep from tightening up. I got this series from McMillan emails. In 2 weeks it is 2x2mi (5min) + 2x1mi (3min). Really working toward a 10k PR.
Ack! My legs hurt just thinking about that... You will say to the 10K that you have your sights on, "I vill crush you like leetle bug!"
Lots of respect for you! I'm a no speed work runner but I must say my long term goals are all long ultras so I think it is ok.
Way to go! I actually like speedwork intervals. Pushing hard for a shorter time is almost fun. Right now they're even more fun since my plan is geared at a 5K and my intervals are only 800m! :)
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