Friday, September 11, 2009

Running on auto-pilot.

I'm not going to lie: My intervals session yesterday was hard. Really hard.

But it was also easy, in a way. I did something new this time. I wrote out my workout (which I ran on the treadmill while Conal was sleeping) on an index card, noting my prescribed speeds, distances and what my elapsed mileage would be after each interval. That way, I didn't have to think about a thing. I just looked at my little workout card and ran.

I felt very official. And since the plan was outlined in great detail, I had to complete it. How could I face the index card otherwise? So, I did it. Here's what I ran:

1 mile warm-up
400 @ 2:00 (400 rest)
4 x 400 @ 1:45 (400 rest)
4 x 200 @ :45 (200 rest)
1 mile cool-down

When I got to those speedy (for me!) 200s, I thought I would pretty much die. Or puke. Well, the first one was fine and actually made me feel like I could run fast if I wanted to. And the second one was OK, but the third one? The third one had me on the verge of puking for real. As you can imagine, the fourth one pushed me even closer to the verge. But the thing about those short repeats is that they are over in no time. I mean, 45 seconds? Even I can take the pain for 45 seconds.

Today is a much-deserved rest day. I'm feeling good about this week's running so far: The race on Monday, easy runs on Tuesday and Wednesday and then speed on Thursday. Today, I'll just kick back and let my legs recover.

But first, in an effort to do our part, Conal and I are off to donate food in honor of the day. It's a small thing, I know. But it is what we're able to do now, today.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

~ Felice

17 comments:

B.o.B. said...

You are a slave to the index card! LOL! (it's a great way to hold yourself accountable.)

Good for you for donating food. Every little bit counts.

Have a great weekend.

Heather said...

Nice job on the speed workout! Hope you have a great weekend.

X-Country2 said...

Just making yourself do speedwork is half the battle. Way to knock it out!

busyrunningmama said...

Wow! That was some speed workout and you did it! Totally rocked it out! You deserve the rest today! Enjoy!!

Kudos to you and Conal doing something special to remember this day and help those in need!!!

Diana said...

Great job! I'm not gonna lie...it sounds aweful! But I'm glad you could make it work for you :)

J said...

Honestly I don't know how you do your speed work on a treadmill! i would totally fall off and hit my head! Great job!

have a good weekend!

Felice Devine said...

Ha ha! J -- I totally felt like I was going to fall during the repeats! I was worried I would trip over my own feet.

Quix said...

Look at that speedwork. Awesome! The index card is a great idea - I would totally feel like I was letting it down. And I think that's why I'm better at decreasing my mile time than my 5k. 7 minutes of hell is not so bad, 25 minutes is a little more than I can tolerate, hehe. For some reason, my 5k and 10k paces are very similar. It's like the jump from 1-3 is huge but miles 3-6 don't faze me much...

Great that you're giving back today, and have a great weekend!

Aron said...

i couldnt say no to an index card either :) GREAT job!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

Way to go speedy....feeling like you will spew your lunch is a good sign you are reaching your body's limit...and every now and then it is GOOD to get into that zone.

Good luck in your RACE!

Marlene said...

LOVE the index card idea. I'll have to use that when I'm back at the gym for intervals this winter. I hate trying to work out in the numbers and trying to hang onto the pace.

Great work nailing your paces! Those are some quick intervals!!

Unknown said...

Great, speedy workout. Enjoy your rest day!

KK @ Running Through Life said...

Love the idea of the index card! Yay for being official!! Great job getting through the workout even when you were feeling off.

JenZen said...

Whew - those repeats sounds BRUTAL!! And way to push through them. Speedwork is evil, but alas, necessary. You smoked it and got it done speedy!!!!

joyRuN said...

Ugh, speedwork. The necessary evil. Good idea with the index card though - I should try that!

Terri said...

I like how you teach Conal so much, and I was sorry to hear how sad he got when he found out how some people don't have enough food.

Sorry for not commenting too much lately, but I've been keeping up with you on Twitter. Looking at a computer all day, when I've come home, I've just not wanted to turn on the computer, you know?

Lindsay said...

nice job on the intervals! i think all interval workouts are hard, really. some are just extra killer with the mental breakdown, but they're always tough to me :) hope you had a good weekend.

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