Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Pleasant Intervals ... An Oxymoron ... ???

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm-up
1.5 mi. warm-up @ 8:36-9:47
8 x 400m @ 92 w/3 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool-down @ 8:36-9:47

ACHIEVED
1.93 mi. WU
dynamic stretching
86/85/85/84/84/84/87/81
1.89 CD

Total distance = 7.79 mi.
Total time = 1:10:22

5:20 AM 78° 90% 7 mph

The psychology of having 8 400-meter intervals in front of me is pretty interesting. Three weeks ago I had the exact same workout on my schedule. I got that workout in and felt pretty good about it. In the two intervening trips to the track, I ran 10 and 12 800's. Dropping back down to 8 today just seemed like a hum-drum exercise. So straightforward and easy that maybe I could even crank them out in my sleep ....

Well, I wasn't as fast as the last time I ran these. Nonetheless, this was a better workout. I tried to keep the interval times closer to my target of 92 seconds each and jog the recoveries instead of walk them like I did last time (sandbagging). I only walked the fourth recovery when I stopped for a drink. A couple others I started walking but got going again. So I still made all of my times and did a much better job of keeping my heart rate up. In addition the temperature was 5° warmer. So today was better than 3 weeks ago.

A fairly large group from ChampionsFit ATP (Advanced Training Program) was on the track today. Sean Easton was leading the group. I think ChampionsFit just began their training for the Houston marathon this week. Susan Cline was there too and some other familiar faces whose names I either don't know or have forgotten. I guess I'll be seeing that group any time I make Tuesday morning trips to the track at Klein High. There are some really fast guys in that group so being on the track with them could help me. They were doing mile repeats today so it felt good passing them while I was doing 400 intervals (I wasn't going much faster than the lead group though!).

PRE RUN
water & cherry FRS

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

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