2 x 2 mile with a 5 minute recovery
Rising this morning, I was not much in the mood for running. Over the last few days rain has settled over Charlotte. These dark and dreary conditions seem to drown out my motivation for running. I like the sunny days and clear skies.
Any way, I pushed out the door and headed over to the track for an aerobic workout this morning.
Since my ITB injury, I have laid off stressing my knee with the long tempo runs which have been the main stay of my training for years.
Instead, I have opted for shorter more intense sessions with a recovery period.
The workout today was a two by two mile with five minute recovery. I had never done this workout so I was interested to see how it would feel.
Starting off, I did a 1.5 mile warm up, followed it with some gentle stretching, and completed my warm up with some running form drills. All while the rain was coming down. Honestly, I did have thoughts of getting back in my car and driving home but no, I stuck it out.
On the 1st interval, I felt tight and stiff. The wind blow into my face with each lap but then, you have to expect it when you are running on track. Checking my heart rate on the 8th lap, I was averaging about 170. Not bad considering I ran just ran 11:46 for two miles.
Recovering from this interval, I did a slow jog lap taking about two and half minutes. I checked my watch again and saw my heart rate had already dropped down to 120. I suspect I could have gone again, but I waited the full five minutes.
On the 2nd interval, I felt looser and smoother. Again, my heart pushed up to 170. It stayed there for pretty much the entire interval. I finished it in 11:39.
Warming down included a mile and half jog on the track and more stretching.
My hamstring was still a little tender from racing last weekend. To compensate for the cold and wet conditions, I wore my 2xU compression shorts during this workout. Any time my legs feel a little stiff and/or sore I pull on the 2xU stuff. It seems to help with the workout and with the recovery afterward.
Overall, I felt good coming out of this workout. My legs were still tired from running 16 miles yesterday, but it didn’t seem to effect them too much. Tomorrow, I head back to the trails. They will be messy and wet. However, getting muddy just adds to the allure of running on the trails.
Any way, I pushed out the door and headed over to the track for an aerobic workout this morning.
Since my ITB injury, I have laid off stressing my knee with the long tempo runs which have been the main stay of my training for years.
Instead, I have opted for shorter more intense sessions with a recovery period.
The workout today was a two by two mile with five minute recovery. I had never done this workout so I was interested to see how it would feel.
Starting off, I did a 1.5 mile warm up, followed it with some gentle stretching, and completed my warm up with some running form drills. All while the rain was coming down. Honestly, I did have thoughts of getting back in my car and driving home but no, I stuck it out.
On the 1st interval, I felt tight and stiff. The wind blow into my face with each lap but then, you have to expect it when you are running on track. Checking my heart rate on the 8th lap, I was averaging about 170. Not bad considering I ran just ran 11:46 for two miles.
Recovering from this interval, I did a slow jog lap taking about two and half minutes. I checked my watch again and saw my heart rate had already dropped down to 120. I suspect I could have gone again, but I waited the full five minutes.
On the 2nd interval, I felt looser and smoother. Again, my heart pushed up to 170. It stayed there for pretty much the entire interval. I finished it in 11:39.
Warming down included a mile and half jog on the track and more stretching.
My hamstring was still a little tender from racing last weekend. To compensate for the cold and wet conditions, I wore my 2xU compression shorts during this workout. Any time my legs feel a little stiff and/or sore I pull on the 2xU stuff. It seems to help with the workout and with the recovery afterward.
Overall, I felt good coming out of this workout. My legs were still tired from running 16 miles yesterday, but it didn’t seem to effect them too much. Tomorrow, I head back to the trails. They will be messy and wet. However, getting muddy just adds to the allure of running on the trails.
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