How was today only one day?
I ran ~8 miles before work, worked 11.5 hours and still managed to meet Ashley for a quick drink after work.
But let’s get back to the ~8 miles, since that’s most relevant to this here blog.
The training plan today called for this:
Soooo simple, Runner’s World.
I thought I had plans after work, so I knew I needed to get this in before work. I also knew that I finally had to face my mental block against the track.
Maybe it’s bringing back all those memories of a timed mile trial in high school, or maybe it’s that I’m afraid there’s some weird Track Etiquette I might be breaching as a newbie, but I’ve been nervous about the idea of going to the track and never have.
That they will know what I’m doing and make fun of me.
Turns out, all you do is just run…in a circle.
I left my apartment around 6am to do to this, knowing that’d put me back home around 7:30. I ran the two miles to the track, and then buckled down.
First 800: this isn’t so bad! 3:55? So I can totally run a marathon in 3:55? (Yassos are supposedly predictive of marathon performance; and of course there are also arguments against this.)
The man himself is actually pretty damn good at guessing times too; he predicted my time within 4 seconds last year.
First recovery: The recovery is almost worst, knowing this slow running won’t last forever.
I’m trying really hard not to obsess over what’s on my watch while I’m running, but of course I love analyzing after.
1: 3:55
2: 3:59
3: 3:54
4: 3:53
5: fail.
6: 3:45
As you can see, the recovery also got wayyyy slower as I continued, and I decided to work that last .25 into my run home.
Before the halfway point, I really wanted to quit. Just a few more intervals wouldn’t really make that much difference, right?
Then, as usual, I told myself to STFU and just run. The later it got, the busier the track got. But I never got any weird looks or kicked off, so I guess I wasn’t violating Official Track Etiquette.
I ran two miles home, and was so incredibly satisfied to not only finish my first track workout, but that 8 miles before work is definitely getting easier. Emily was right.
Where do you run intervals/speedwork? Treadmill? Track? Back and forth in your apartment?
Favorite speed workout?
No idea why I chose Frank Sinatra lyrics to name my last post on this…
As I mentioned in my last post, I've really been going through it with headaches.…
(tw for diet culture talk—mostly how it's BS, but how it's affected me, too) This…
I have been thinking about this post for a while—on why diet culture is unhealthy…
I woke up this morning already feeling anxious. (Yay!) My standard iPhone alarm is set…
I read The Midnight Library over the weekend, and I need to talk about it.…
View Comments
I usually do speedwork on the reservoir (not ideal, but it works) because there aren't any tracks near me and I am also mega-intimidated... but maybe one of these days I'll have to give the track a try!
Great job getting out there and getting these 800s in! I love track workouts.The oval is the only place I really feel I belong in this wide world of running. A favorite workout of mine is a simple 4-3-2-1. When I was a sprinter this used to mean meters, but now that i'm a "distance runner" this means laps, and it also sometimes mean, 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 if I'm feeling extra motivated. Finding an open track when high school is back on in the fall is tough, and means a bunch of intervals in the dark. I'm a bigger fan of track work at night versus morning. Mornings are for tempos (damn Centrowitz and his plan that continues to stick with me!)
I've never done an "official" speed workout, but once/week I do about 2.5 mi of sprint intervals on the treadmill. Maybe I'll change it up and take it to the track soon.
I love ladder workouts, because I build up the work down.
Not that I'm doing much running at all right now, thanks to a horrible IT Band flare. Hopefully that will calm down and I'll back to running soon.
Very impressive! I had no idea when I spoke to you yesterday that you already completed such a hardcore workout. I do my speed intervals along my regular running path and turn around to head back halfway through. I just rely on my watch to beep at the intervals I set so I know when to stop and go again.
@Dori: I've always just done intervals on the WSH before or on a treadmill, but I finally decided to just suck it up and go to a track!
It was the 8 miles that gave you the energy for such a full day.
@Glenn: Or the coffee :)
I do my speed workout on the track at Astoria Park. Mine are very simple. I will do 1 mile warmup, 2 miles of intervals with 1 interval per lap (around 100m) and if my legs can handle it after, I will do another 1 mile around the track. I have found that the atmosphere at the public tracks are very low key. Occasionally I will see some serious runners out there that will get ticked at everybody including the walkers because we all seem to be in their way, but hey it's a public track and you'll see all types of exercisers out there. I hit it in the early am hours as to avoid the big crowds. Great job on your speedy workout!
I've been a runner for about 15 months now, and am just starting to play around with speed work. Thanks for writing more about Yasso 800s- it's good to have a better idea of what I'm doing.
@Caroline: I've only been doing speedwork since last spring, but it's not as daunting as it sounds--promise!
Its 10:23pm and I'm travelling however this post makes me want to go outside and run Yasso's right now. You are rocking this training season. I cant wait to see what MCM has in store for you!
@Gia: Why are you traveling? Why aren't you back in NYC? I miss you.