Going to be honest, didn’t really worry about today.
Today’s workout was 4x800m with a 400 jog in between at equal time. It’s a fourth week of the month, so the weekend interval workout was shorter than normal. I ate a ton over the past two days, reflecting itself in a 4-pound increase on the scale. All the same, I’ve slept well and got some cool new clothes, so i was ready to roll.
The goal pace for the intervals was 6:12, which was the same as last week’s longer 3×1600 workout. Was I overconfident? No. Just properly confident. Why after a good weekend of eating, sleeping and training would I be worst than last week? Plus, at the end of every 3-mile run this week, I accelerated to paces between 5:00-5:30 over the last quarter mile. I knew I had the stamina and the speed to burn.
The intervals ticked off easily today in 3:03, 3:04, 3:04, and 2:56. I could have gone faster and longer, which is something you want to feel in a rest week. On the fourth rep, I opened up my stride and cruised in. An honest assessment says I could have turned it into a sub-5:50 mile if the workout had continued. Moderation won the day.
That’s the end of month 1. The goal was to bring the 3×1600 workout down from an average pace of 6:30 to 6:12. I managed to bring it down to 6:04 pace last week. Next month, in February, I’ll try to move the workout from 6:03 to 5:45 pace. Need to control my eating a bit, but I think I can get that done as well.
Until then!
Weekly Mileage (Week 4):
23 of planned 23 miles
Saturday Workout
Workout: 4x800m with 400m jog at equal time (half-pace)
Planned pace: 6:12 per mile
Actual pace: 6:04 per mile
Next week’s planned pace: 6:03 per mile (3x1600m)
RunnerRich 