Yesterdays track workout was the bomb. It was short, it was fast, and whenever I am stewing mentally processing a race I tend to train like a champ. The workout was 4×400, 2×200, 4×400. Quite a bit shorter than the usual track work that we do. The first interval I came in at 85 seconds and I thought “Humm, maybe I should try to hang onto the big boys today”. You know, the boys that I usually finish half a track behind and then spend the recovery lap trying to catch back up to them, only to be dumped again on the next interval. Yea, those boys. So I stepped it up. 81 for the next, then an 80. Humm, still feeling spunky, so I dropped to a 79 for the last one in the first set. I ran the 200’s in 38, and 38, and tried to set myself up for the last four 400’s. I wanted to run hard, to run the stuffing out of myself.
I just went for it. At the point where the boys were gapping me in the first set, I tried to hold on just a little longer. They usually ended up gapping me on the last 100, but I held on as long as I could. The last set I came in at 79, 77, 77, 79. I wish I could have held that 77 on the last one, but I was thrilled with the set.
So, usually on a workout like this I would have shot for 82-85, hoping to finish off in the low 80’s. I think I am standing in my own way sometimes. I am allowing myself to become the person at the track that people want to catch. I need to make it tougher on them. It was also an eye opening day for me. When I spend Tuesday preparing to have a good workout (nutrition and sleep) and arrive at track ready to lay it down without expectations, I surprise myself. Yesterday was a large leap in the right direction.
Mom says:
WOW!! Excellent work out there girl! You ROCK!
July 24th, 2008 at 10:25 am
RunColo says:
I spent pretty much my entire track/CC life running intervals too hard, even last year. I’d get competitive and end up running them faster than 5k race pace. My logic was the harder that I worked, the faster that I would get, which is not always the case.
After reading “Daniels’ Running Formula” I realized that the goal of intervals is to spend as much total time as possible at VO2 max (aka 5k race pace) and that when you go faster than that you negate the workout and start improving your anaerobic conditioning instead, when you should be focusing on aerobic conditioning.
Now I run my intervals at 5k race pace and if other people run a bit faster than me, I try to hold back, it’s hard I know, because you want to race!
I’m sure if you Google Jack Daniels Interval Training, you’ll get a better idea.
Peace
July 25th, 2008 at 7:55 am