Thursday, August 23, 2007

84s

I got up this morning at 0430 and jogged over to the high school track to run 6x400. My new VDOT intensity calls for 400s to be run in 85 seconds. It was in the low 70s with a nice breeze coming out of the south-southwest but was still a little on the humid side.

I got in a mile warm-up and did 800 worth of strides. I stretched a bit and took off into my first rep with Orion and his dog watching from the southeast corner of the track. My rep times follow:

1. 1:24.59 (200m. recovery in 1:30.36)
2. 1:24.35 (1:30.64)
3. 1:24.74 (1:30.29)
4. 1:24.71 (1:30.51)
5. 1:24.49 (1:30.38)
6. 1:24.11

After rep six I sat on the track for a minute and then ran about a mile and a quarter to cool down.

I feel pretty good about the practice. I felt pretty good and didn't start feeling uncomfortable until the last two reps and the discomfort was minimal. Tomorrow morning I am going to run another easy five miles and Saturday I will run eight before I have to go to work for an inservice over our computed radiology system. I'm going to get four hours of Continuing Education but I would rather be chilling out with the newspaper and a cup of coffee at 0800 hours instead of sitting in a lecture.

4 comments:

Nate M. said...

You run enviably even splits. I'm very impressed, particularly given that this was a new VDOT. To nail all of them that tightly is really, really impressive.

Aaron said...

Thanks. I've always been pretty good about hitting my splits in practice but running an even pace in races has always been my downfall. I'm getting better at it and I can see it reflected in a few of my races this summer, most notably: Abe's, Steamboat, the Sizzling Mile and the Parade Run.

I'm hoping that I'll have this pacing thing down the next time I attempt a marathon.

Nate M. said...

Uh oh. You said the m-word. Are you thinking about running one anytime soon?

Aaron said...

I'm not sure yet. I thought about trying one next summer when I hit the big 3-0 but I don't know if I really want to do the training I know I'm going to have to undertake. If I do another marathon I'm going to try to run in the 40s with a peak in the low 50s and I'm going to have to be very diligent about doing yoga and core work to stave off injury. Unfortunately I haven't been very good about yoga or core work this summer. I don't want to do another marathon until I'm sure that I would run well when I did.