5x1000m on the Track

Goal:
3x1000m + 4x400m

Actual:
3 mile warmup
5x1000m with 2:30 rest at 3:17, 3:17, 3:17, 3:17, 3:16
3 mile cool down for ~10 miles total

Woke up at 515AM to get out the door by 530 to meet Caleb at his house before running to the JCSU Track together for our workout.  We were supposed to catch a group from the Dowd on the way, and didn't see them so kept on going towards the track.  Only David Willis showed up a couple minutes later, so it was a smaller group that we typically had at the track.  This is mainly due to the fact that several people have been heading to the Summer Track Series on Tuesday evenings to get in their workouts.

I started this workout with the expectation of running 3:20, and was pleasantly surprised to find my splits under that mark.  David was about 10 seconds ahead of me while Caleb was about 10 seconds behind me on each interval, so I was basically alone for the workout.  Sometimes I struggle when I'm in no man's land like that, so I employed some tactics to keep myself focused.  Lacking Laurie's encouraging presence, I kept my eyes straight on David's back so that I wouldn't slow down.  Everything felt very relaxed and controlled, so I came out of the workout feeling pretty confident for the race on Friday in China Grove.

In other news, Garrett was picked up by the Trois Rivieres Aigles in Quebec, Canada.  I'm hoping to get a chance to visit him in late June / early July, but it will be an expensive trip.  It's been exactly four weeks since I last saw him, so by late June I'll undoubtedly be getting a little antsy to see my husband.

Down Ladder at the JCSU Track

Goal:
2000m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m w/ 400m rest

Actual:
2.5 mile warmup to JCSU
2000m (5:45 through mile), 1600m (5:29), 1200m (4:01 - all in 80), 800m (2:36 - 78/78), 400m (70), 400m (72) w/ 400m jog rest
2.5 mile cool down for ~10 Miles total

pm: 5 miles for 15 miles total for day

The 5:10AM alarm this morning was much easier to wake up to, knowing that Laurie was coming to my house for the warmup.  Given that there was basically no way out of this workout without dramatically affecting Laurie's workout, I hopped out of bed immediately to begin my preparations.  Somehow I had extra time to spare and I found myself sweeping the floor before heading out the door.  The warmup was uneventful, and we made it to the track where we found AJ waiting for us.  Not long thereafter, Aaron, Jesse, Charlie and Mike all showed up and the two separate groups began their respective workouts. 

Laurie and I were solo, so we alternated leads for each interval, and I was up first for the 2000m.  I took us out entirely too slow (93) and found myself making up for it on the remaining laps.  In the end, we came through in our target pace of 5:45.  For the mile, Laurie lead us through a solid time of 5:29 and I felt like my breathing was out of whack.  I didn't want the workout to be doomed due to my labored breathing, so I accounted it to the humidity and not my lack of fitness.  Fortunately, for the remainder of the workout, I felt comfortable and confident and....fast!  After the first 9 laps of works were completed, the workout was much easier to handle as we only had 6 laps left.  Since the boys had 400s, we waited for them for our last interval, and I tucked right in with Mike and took us out at what I would consider a blistering pace of 70.  In my Nike Pegasus trainers, that was basically all out for me, but it felt almost effortless.  I would actually consider it fun, which is an adjective I thought I'd never use in the near future to describe a track workout. Since I'm an overachiever, I decided to add on another 400m since the guys had one more to go.  Although this went against the prescribed workout, I didn't want to pass up another opportunity to potentially beat the guys.  This "una mas" interval wasn't as fast as my other one, but the effort was still there.

Overall, this workout is a positive indicator that my fitness is indeed where I want it to be.  I felt relaxed and maintained what I consider to be some solid times.  Admittedly, though, I am looking forward to a long weekend in California with my sister where I don't have to get up at 5:00AM

Back to the Track: Mile Repeats

Goal:
4-5x mile with 400m rest gradually getting faster

Actual:
2.7 warmup
4xmile in 5:40, 5:35, 5:30, 5:20
2.3 cool down for 10 miles total

Prior to this morning, I hadn't been on the track for anything longer than 400m repeats since the CRC 100x5k back in March 2011.  I was excited, yet slightly nervous, for this adventure on the track for mile repeats.  I had mile repeats on the schedule, but Laurie had a different flavor of the same workout, so I opted for hers.  The goal was to get faster on each one and to end around 5:20 pace.  Laurie met at my house and we ran to JCSU to start our workout in the dark.  Charlie showed up a few minutes later and started his own workout at a faster pace than us.  Laurie and I alternated leads on each repeat, and it is amazing how we nailed the paces.  Every single lap was basically perfect...and by perfect I mean right at 85 for the 5:40 mile, plus or minus .2 seconds.  On the last one I had to lead us to a 5:20, so the pressure was on.  Fortunately we nailed it! I was tired after that fourth one and admittedly it was a little hard to run 5:20 in the trainers on the track.  A part of me wished that I had worn my racing flats, but it didn't really matter.

It was definitely great to have Laurie and Charlie out there because if they hadn't been there, I would have ditched the track after two lonely laps and opted for the roads.  Surprisingly, I rather enjoyed the time on the track and wouldn't be opposed to heading back out to JCSU in the near future for another speedy workout.

16x400m

Goal:
16x400m with 1:00 rest at 77-78

Actual:
3.4 mile warmup
79 (60)
76 (60)
79 (53)
77 (60)
77 (58)
76 (58)
77 (59)
77 (119)
76 (57)
78 (59)
76 (58)
77 (58)
78 (58)
77 (59)
76 (56)
74
2.5-ish cool down for 11 miles total

I performed this workout on Thursday instead of Friday because I am driving to Nashville, TN tonight after work to begin my epic trek to Indiana to visit Garrett for the first and only time this season.  Fortunately, I was still able to recruit some guys for company on this one: Matt, Brad, Caleb and David.    We all met at the Wilmore Welcome Center and jogged over to JCSU at 5:40am for some early repeats on the track. Since I had just completed a 3x2 mile workout only 2 days prior, I wasn't entirely sure if I could hit my target paces.  Fortunately, the company of the boys pulled me along to hit the goal for the most part.  In fact, this was the first track workout in a while where I really just ran, without looking at splits or anything.  I just cruised along, trusting in what my legs were doing.  After 8 laps, we took a 2 min break to grab some much needed water before beginning the second half of the quarters.  I don't think I've actually completed the full 16x400m workout in the last three times I've done this, so I was pleased that I powered through to actually complete the entire workout for once.  Another new goal for this season--complete all of my #1 and #2 most important workouts for that week, which Mark has conveniently prioritized for me.