Posts Tagged ‘intervals’

No Parking on the Race Track

It’s a step-down week, so I headed over to the track for 8 x 400 yesterday. Unfortunately, fall classes started at the college and there wasn’t a parking spot to be had within a mile of campus. Literally. I ended up parking at a strip mall over a mile away and got my warmup dodging traffic and students on my way to the track.

The good news was that the lack of parking meant hardly anyone on the oval. No dodging out to lane 6 to avoid a walker. Here’s how it went:

Intervals: 8 x 400 meters
Goal pace: sub-1:40
Lap 1: 1:36.76
Lap 2: 1:33.04
Lap 3: 1:33.25
Lap 4: 1:32.76
Lap 5: 1:34.08
Lap 6: 1:35.63
Lap 7: 1:34.10
Lap 8: 1:32.32
Average: 1:33.99
Total distance: 5 miles

I wanted to get one under 1:30 but I couldn’t manage it. I’ve got a 5k race tomorrow evening. That’s right – a 6 p.m. race in Sacramento in late August. Forecast temperature: 95 degrees. Not expecting a record pace.

A Mass o’ Yassos

First, I have to note that many of my fellow bloggers seem to have hit the summer doldrums. Here are a few of the blog post titles that greeted me today:

Insult to Injury

Mindf*ck

Ouch

A Giant Sack of Crap

Feet of Fleeting Frustration

Not all of these turned out to be as bad as the headlines would indicate, but come on, people! Cheer up!

This week’s Carnival of Running melted away with the rest of my hard drive, so the carnival will return next Wednesday. In the meantime, you can enjoy my training progress (because I know you’re dying to know): 16-miler last Sunday, three 8-mile tempo runs 15 seconds per mile above goal pace, and this morning’s speedwork:

Intervals: 8 x 800 meters
Goal pace: sub-3:36
Lap 1: 3:26.55
Lap 2: 3:21.41
Lap 3: 3:23.43
Lap 4: 3:23.97
Lap 5: 3:28.91
Lap 6: 3:25.53
Lap 7: 3:26.87
Lap 8: 3:26.11
Average: 3:25.35
Total distance: 7 miles

Now back to computer file reconstruction.

Red Fails Never Felt So Successful

Bright and early this morning I went for my first track workout in 27 years. As you might suspect, today was meant for getting my feet wet and establishing a benchmark.

With no real sense of what would be a good pace, I used the Viper model, setting out for a mile warmup, 6 x 400 intervals with 400 meter recoveries, and a mile cooldown. Everything went according to plan except that I still felt good after six intervals, so I did eight instead.

Viper shoots for a minimum of a 6:42 mile pace, but I didn’t want to screw with rounding, so I aimed for anything below 1:41. Anything above is a big red FAIL.

Intervals: 8 x 400 meters
Goal pace: sub 1:41
Lap 1: 1:40.28
Lap 2: 1:42.79  FAIL
Lap 3: 1:47.03  EPIC FAIL
Lap 4: 1:41.49  FAIL
Lap 5: 1:41.90  FAIL
Lap 6: 1:40.27
Lap 7: 1:41.69  FAIL
Lap 8: 1:38.46
Average: 1:41.74
Total distance: 6 miles

After the third interval I realized I was running my recovery laps way too fast. I slowed considerably in-between and the effect was magical. Even with five fails out of eight, it was an extremely positive workout.

I had a lot of fun. My only adjustment will be to move my track workout to Wednesdays, as I’m pretty sure doing intervals the day before my long run will make both suffer.

As I get used to this, I’ll progress first by shortening the recoveries, then by going to 800s. Right on track.

Betting on the Track

Now that I’ve spent the last two weeks restoring mileage (26 and 30 respectively) and I’m reasonably settled into an 8:45-9:00 minute pace, it’s about time to level off the mileage and start shaving the speed.

My intervals have always been hampered by a lack of a Garmin or any local trail with markers less than a half-mile apart. So I can run 800s or mile repeats but nothing shorter with any accuracy. Plus the trail is covered in pea gravel, which is like running in soft sand in spots, and God help your skin if you fall. Flayed runner.

So, using my mad research skillz, I tried to find a local outdoor track that allowed public access. You wouldn’t think this would be so difficult, but most of the tracks belong to high schools, who appropriately fence in their facilities and don’t look kindly on strangers hanging around.

I was beginning to despair, until I blundered onto a local college’s track and – miracle of miracles – they let ordinary taxpayers use it! It’s lovely, as you can see:

Soon I’ll be running 200m and 400m repeats and bitching about it right here – just like you guys have been doing for years! I’m so happy to be part of the club.