It' Easy. . .

Easy as pie!

Don't mean to sound flip here, just a line from the Cale/Clapton song I was keying off of on my workout this morning.

Mike again laid out a workout for me:

If you want to run hard again before Sunday, get on the track Thursday and do something that is faster than the pace you probably will be trying to run on Sunday, 5:15/mile or so. Do not do too much volume as you are close to a race.

You can go 2 X 800 at 2:28-30 followed by 6 X 400 at 73-74. At least a 400 rest after the 800's 200 rest after the 400's. It sounds fast, but with the shape you are in now, and if you run with proper form, a 73 second quarter is not that fast. Think this way, it is a 36.5 200, but then you just keep going another half lap. Very important to warm up and warm down well. Warming up well means at least a mile of easy jogging to loosen up, a few laps faster, some stretching, and some striders. Warmdown should be at least two miles until your respiration, heart rate feel more normal.

Again, with this workout, I am sort of guessing here that the pace should not be too fast, should not be too much volume. If it is too fast, too much volume, adjust it. If 4 X 400's works instead of 6, do it that way.

So I went down to Franklin Field this morning feeling much more light hearted than I usually do. No pressure today. Just run the reps as fast as I can. Tweak 'em. Feel exhausted? no problem, take some extra recovery. Still can't nail them the way I want to, then shut it down and go home. No biggie.

KJ and Deirdre also happened to be at the track this morning, but it was parallel play. I had my own stuff to take care of and so did they. Deirdre is talking about signing up for and running CIM, but I won't believe it until she's got the plane ticket. KJ is running the half-marathon this weekend, a new addition to the Philadelphia Marathon races.

First 800 all out in 2:27 (1:14/1:13). I'm gulping for air already, and can't see how I'd ever do any more than one of these. A sloooow 400m recovery and I try it again.

Second one clocks in at 2:26 (1:14/1:12). Another sloooow 400m recovery.

Shift down to 400s now. I like this, as 400s always seem done before they even start. The thing I hate about doing them is that there usually seem to be so many of them. But today there are only six.

First one comes in at 71 seconds. Slow 200m recovery.

Second one is in at another 71 seconds. Another, even slower 200m recovery.

Third one is in 72 seconds. Still holding on but OMG, I'm dying here. I extend my recovery to 400m. Halfway around this recovery I stop for a minute to coordinate tomorrow's run w/ KJ and D. I still can't talk a full sentence I'm breathing so heavy. None of us can commit fully to running tomorrow. Hell, I'm not sure if I can commit to running the next 400. I'm grateful for the extra recovery.

Fourth one is in 73 seconds. Am I slowing here. If the next rep is slower, that'll be the last one. no problem. Take 400 m recovery again.

Fifth one is back down to 71 seconds. Yeah, I'm an animal. 400 m recovery.

Sixth one is in 73 seconds. I'll take it and I'm outta here.

This workout was perfect for me today. I couldn't do these reps this fast in a regular track workout, but now I can imagine doing taking them to this level sometime in the future. And today the track was fun again. And finally, Mike hits it right on when he says:

The idea of this workout is to come off the track feeling fast, and thus confident Sunday that you can handle a fast pace and be right in rhythm. It also helps your brain realize that a 5:56 pace is barely running for a guy as good as you are.

Or, another way to put it, if you can't look good through the speed goggles what's the point of working out?!

8 miles total in 64 flat (including dawdling and talking). Can't wait to take my mojo out on the Rothman 8k on Sunday. Easy as pie!