More Yasso 800s
Yasso 800s sound a bit gimmicky, but they are really just 800m reps with a target time that is easy to remember. I last did these for a track workout 3 weeks ago and was disappointed in my inability to hold 2:50s. This time I looked to do them in 2:45, but gave myself 400 m recovery instead of 200 m. And I set out to do ten reps instead of the eight I got in last time. This is a more or less textbook Yasso workout, save that the recoveries are cut down a bit.
First we'll go to the numbers. Reps in 2:40; 2:41; 2:41; 2:41; 2:42; 2:42; 2:42, 2:43; 2:45 & 2:42.
I could end this entry right here. I nailed them down! Nuff said. I was a rhythm machine - hit one, recover for 400; repeat. Over and over. At about the seventh rep they started getting harder, but I was able to hit 1:21s and 1:22s for the first 400 so I didn't have to push harder for the second. The ninth one was the biggest struggle, and I wasn't sure if I'd have the juice for the tenth one. But once I started it I knew I'd hit it without having to resort to a heroic effort.
So in other words I came in a few seconds under goal pace and could have done them harder. These times put my training on pace for about a 2:42 or 2:43 marathon. I'm thoroughly satisfied.
In warming up and cooling down for this workout I reflected that the track for me is a place to test my limits. Where some people climb mountains or run ultras, I can explore these outer areas within an extended lunch hour. I think that is why I approach the track with a mixture of exhileration and anxiety. That and the expectation of experiencing a good bit of pain in the process.
While my legs let me know for the rest of the day that this is a very physical process, I have felt the mental benefits more. Track work expands my expectations, and in the last month has let me see, workout by workout, what I am capable of doing. Knowing I'm capable of more has given me the confidence to push more, and this has been reflected in my recent race times. And this workout should keep me going in that direction, as I'm now back down to workouts I did while training for Chicago two years ago, which still stands as my PR.
Oh yeah, I also did a 4 mile Franklin Field loop this morning. I was smart enough not to bring a watch for that little run. I put Bobby Patterson on the iPod and keyed on seeing the East Side of the Furness library in the morning sun. This 4, plus the total of 9 I did around my track workout, gives me 13 for the day.
Now to check nytimes.com for a Phillies score.
First we'll go to the numbers. Reps in 2:40; 2:41; 2:41; 2:41; 2:42; 2:42; 2:42, 2:43; 2:45 & 2:42.
I could end this entry right here. I nailed them down! Nuff said. I was a rhythm machine - hit one, recover for 400; repeat. Over and over. At about the seventh rep they started getting harder, but I was able to hit 1:21s and 1:22s for the first 400 so I didn't have to push harder for the second. The ninth one was the biggest struggle, and I wasn't sure if I'd have the juice for the tenth one. But once I started it I knew I'd hit it without having to resort to a heroic effort.
So in other words I came in a few seconds under goal pace and could have done them harder. These times put my training on pace for about a 2:42 or 2:43 marathon. I'm thoroughly satisfied.
In warming up and cooling down for this workout I reflected that the track for me is a place to test my limits. Where some people climb mountains or run ultras, I can explore these outer areas within an extended lunch hour. I think that is why I approach the track with a mixture of exhileration and anxiety. That and the expectation of experiencing a good bit of pain in the process.
While my legs let me know for the rest of the day that this is a very physical process, I have felt the mental benefits more. Track work expands my expectations, and in the last month has let me see, workout by workout, what I am capable of doing. Knowing I'm capable of more has given me the confidence to push more, and this has been reflected in my recent race times. And this workout should keep me going in that direction, as I'm now back down to workouts I did while training for Chicago two years ago, which still stands as my PR.
Oh yeah, I also did a 4 mile Franklin Field loop this morning. I was smart enough not to bring a watch for that little run. I put Bobby Patterson on the iPod and keyed on seeing the East Side of the Furness library in the morning sun. This 4, plus the total of 9 I did around my track workout, gives me 13 for the day.
Now to check nytimes.com for a Phillies score.
posted by seebo | 9:35 PM
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