Tuesday: Track Workout, Yoga, and Gilad

Last night, I got in bed much too late for a person who was planning to get up at 5:20 AM. When the alarm went off (I have the worst and most aggressive alarm in the world, by the way. It is like a combination of a fog horn and a rebel yell and a chain smoker speaking loudly in your ear.), I couldn't even remember where I was or for what reason that horrendous sound was screaming at me. My husband woke up and told me in a grieved tone that I HAD to do something about my alarm, and I wanted to burst into tears and go back to sleep and forget that I had the committed myself to something so foolish as a track workout at 6:00 AM.

Anyway, that is not what I do, and I lugged myself out of bed. I had some oatmeal and blueberries with a cup of stiff coffee before heading to the track. Our workout went as follows:

• 1.25 mile warm-up
• 2 x 200 fast/ 2 x 200 slow
• 4 x 1000 at I pace, which was 4:15 with a 400 meter jog in between
• 4 x 200 at R pace, which was 0:47, with 200 jog in between
• 0.5 mile cooldown

Overall, this was 7.25 miles, and it was really hard. I actually had the option of doing 5 x 1000 meters, but I was so relieved to only do the four. It was so hot and so muggy and there were gnats in my eyes and I was so super tired.

Now, what I figured out today, and what I have suspected for many many years, is that I have some sort of mental block or disability about pacing. I seem to be able to start out running super fast and then fall apart in the end. Mark Miller has made me realize that speed is not just about running really fast, but about knowing how to hit your marks at each 100, so that you finish right on time and preserve your speed and endurance in such a way that you run a consistent pace the whole way through. I did what I usually do and latched on to Super Tracy who was running my pace AND AND knew how to keep an eye on her watch and knew what pace to hit at each of the orange cones that Drew and Mark had placed around the track at each 100 meter mark.

Now, Tracy seemed to have a gift for keeping track of her times. It really is important to get the hang of pacing, as it allows you to strategize and run a better race. My "just get out there and run real fast" mentality is taking a real beating at track workout.

At home, I headed into work and came home to some yoga and a Gilad workout. Going to bed early!!