executive decision
well, not knowing what tonite's workout would be, and if there would be an option to take it easier, i decided to do speedwork this morning with the 6 am crew-yeah, it was still a cool 83 degrees, but would still be better than any running-be it fast or slow-in mid-90s weather with heat indices in the 100s.
anyway, the workout was a "reverse ladder" of sorts around the reservoir. 880 yards hard, recover to the "0" at engineer's gate, 660 hard (220 recovery,) 440 hard (220 recovery,) 220 hard, get some water, repeat again. anyway, i put up a pretty damn good fight in the weather:
| Set 1 | Set 2 | ||||
| Interval (in yards) | Time | Pace | Interval (in yards) | Time | Pace |
| 880 | 3:34 | 7:08 | 880 | 3:39 | 7:18 |
| 660 | 2:53 | 7:41 | 660 | 2:41 | 7:09 |
| 440 | 1:52 | 7:28 | 440 | 1:48 | 7:12 |
| 220 | 0:55 | 7:20 | 220 | 0:48 | 6:24 |
I think I did start off a little bit too hard...chasing 3 guys that were running with us :) i let em go after the first quarter and just tried to run at my own pace. that first 660 repeat seemed much slower than all the others, so i'm not sure if that first hard 880 hurt me, or if i didnt recover enough, or if i even hit my watch too slow!! second set, the recoveries were a little bit slower, and i paced with 2 other girls who were around my pace, until i lost them near the end of the 660 (which i wonder if that one was right as well...yowza.) it had gotten hotter by the end, but i just pushed hard for the 440, and just booked that last 220.
we were given the option to do this "ladder" workout or do 220s...i preferred this one as i dislike shorter, more intense repeats...plus longer ones are better for marathon training, correct? and after the first loop, we also had the option to either continue the workout or do an easy loop...i figured if i made it that far, i can suck it up for another loop :)
anyway, i'm pleased with my showing in the heat, and especially since it's tough for me to get out of slow mode at 6 am. here's another one for the books...and it will leave my evening free to "enjoy" the Philharmonic in Central Park (i say enjoy in quotes because i'm not sure how fun 96 degree weather will be while sitting still!! we'll see how long i last though...)
Posts
9 shout-out(s):
Thanks for the motivating post! Getting up at 6a to do speed = very committed to training. Great job! I am off to the gym to complete my run of the day. I may even through in some bursts of "speed". Yes, it will be hot tonight at the concert, but hopefully not too uncomfortable. I'm hoping to be able to find everyone. Have a good day!
Awesome! I was out there this morning too...met my friend at 5:30 and ran 2 full bridle path loops. Much more tolerable this morning as I think it was actually worse for my run last week.
Have fun at the philharmonic concert...I'll be there too weather permitting of course (rain people! not the heat will stop me!;)
I guess you did the first 880 too hard, which explains why you kind of bombed on the first 660. The rest look pretty impressive.
But don't forget that it's the long runs that are most important for marathon training, not fast 880s, 660s or shorter ones.
runner26-you're very welcome, hope you had a good run! i was a regular morning runner when i first joined the Flyers, but sorta fell off the wagon with that...it's been a chore to get up before 8 am these days!! i dont know how i did it today.
uptown girl-yep, was definitely better than last week...maybe we actually are acclimating :)
thomas-yep, you're right about that one...i have a habit of always rabbiting the first repeat :-\ and yeah, i know that it's all about the long runs for marathon training, but speed is another part of that puzzle (i just remember the discussions last year that those who were marathon training were inclined towards longer repeats.) plus, it's a little bit of a confidence-booster...that not all was lost :)
Good job with the morning speedwork. A smart way to beat the heat!
It sure is great to get those morning runs out of the way to leave the evenings free for events like the philharmonic. But it also sure is a challenge to get them in that early!
Wow, very impressive! Seems like your training is going well. Have fun!
Thanks for swinging by!! Great running blog and I really like your header, cool, crisp and refreshing! Wow speedy Gonzalez...sometimes its just fun to run fast =)
Nice work out there in the heat. I did some 800 repeats the other morning - it was like 88 degrees at 6am. Nuts.
As for the speed work I will share a favorite quote from Bob Glover's book "The Competitive Runner's Handbook"
"Think of milage as the base of fitness which is then brought to peak performance with speed training. Both aspects of training, quantity with mileage and quality with speed, are essential to success as a competitive runner."
Basically any speed work is good training.
and i own that book too. maybe i oughta thumb through it sometime soon :)
Post a Comment