Today's run included my second Repetition workout. This one called for 6x400 at 86 seconds each. I knew this would be a little tougher than last week, because last week had a mix of both 200s and 400s, and the 400s felt significantly harder than the shorter reps!
After warming up for 2.5 miles on the Creek Path, I again found myself at the Boulder High School track. It's so convenient that I can do a track workout on my lunch break, without even hopping on my bike to get there.
The first rep felt ragged. I was pushing hard, but didn't feel smooth at all. I was surprised that my watch said 88.7 seconds, nearly two seconds off pace! And it wasn't for a lack of trying, either.
I jogged another 400 for recovery and then walked around a little, allowing my heart rate to settle back down, before starting the next rep after about 4 minutes total recovery. I ended up using this same recovery period after each rep. As I understand it, the point of repetition workouts is not to stress your VO2 max or your lactate threshold -- it's to improve leg speed and running economy at speed. Thus, full recoveries are necessary in order to insure that each rep can be completed in the same amount of time.
The second rep felt a little bit smoother, and I came in at 86.3 seconds. From there, the rest of my reps just kept feeling better and more in control. I posted the last four in 85.9, 85.7, 85.5, and 86.0 seconds. Actually, the last rep felt so good that I foolishly ran the first 100 in 18 seconds (it should have been 21.5). I consciously slowed it down, though, and finished the 400 right on pace. I jogged another 400 and turned for home. Total mileage for today: 7 miles.
I think next time, it would be worthwhile to pick up the pace a bit toward the end of my warmup. Going from my 8:10 warmup pace straight to my repetition pace of 5:46 minutes per mile is a bit harsh, I guess. Well, I'm learning!
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