3 x 6 min and 4 x 1 min
My workouts are winding down to conclusion before Twin Cities. This morning my 2nd to last stressor workout was 3 by 6 minutes with 3 minute recovery followed by 4 by 1 minute on/off. My goal for this workout was to run them fairly close to my expected marathon pace. However, surprisingly my first 6 minutes was right on marathon pace. Most of the time, I am a notorious slow starter and build toward a strong finish. So it was really nice to be on target from the start. Each of the next 2 intervals was slightly faster the previous. The only thing that concerned me was my heart rate. Not sure of the exact reason, but my rate was running a little higher than expected. But once my recovery period started my heart drop right down to where I would expect it to be.
The final 4 by 1 minute on/off were what I call super strides because the pace for running them is similar to what my 200 meter type workouts would be. Mainly, the purpose of these extender workouts is to get the leg turnover up – somewhere around 100 strides per minute. Marathon training grinds the legs along mile after mile with a much slower leg turn over. Taking the opportunity to push the leg turnover up even just a little makes the marathon pace seem a lot easier.
Now, it is time for an easy afternoon.
Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner.
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