6, 5,4,3,2, 1 workout

Early this morning, I went out for an interval workout of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 minute intervals. This gives me just 21 minutes of work which is not a lot. However, I have to take into account that I am just over a week out from my marathon. I am not going to be making any huge improvements in these last 10 days. Workouts like this one are there to keep my running engine tuned without over stressing it. The last thing that I want to do at this point is run a workout that leaves me tired and sore for several days. The risk vs. reward just isn't there.

Thus, this morning I ran about 4 miles of warm up and the launched into the first 6 minute interval. My legs felt a little sluggish but then they always do. Three minutes of recovery went by rather fast and then I was off on the 5 minute interval. After so many harder workouts these didn't seem so bad. Two and half minutes later I was headed off on the 4 minute interval. Running time intervals vs. running distance interval are a big switch up. If I run a distance interval, and I don't make the time that I expect. It is a little depressing. Timed intervals are a little more abstract. Yeah, my Garmin still measures the distance and the average pace, but there is no clear starting point or stopping point. Somehow, it just seems make a difference. Plus, I can always fall back on the excuse that this is a road workout rather than a nice flat track workout. I expect to be a little slower.

In any workout once I hit the half point, I always seem to feel better. The three minute interval went by quickly, but the minute and half recovery went by even faster. During my two minute interval I felt like I was running hard and in fact I was. Gauging how hard to run isn't easy but the working assumption is the shorter the distance the more suffering I can handle. The final minute came and went almost as an afterthought.

Surprisingly, I started this workout at 4 miles and it took me nearly 5 miles to complete it. This includes the distance covered during the interval and the recovery. There is nothing like finishing a workout and having just a short distance to cool down back home.

Total running time was 73 minutes which I will take any day. My average heart rate for the entire workout – warmup, intervals, recovery, and cool down was 147. Setting aside my max heart at the very start, the max it ever hit was 166. This gives me plenty of room under my 180 cap to run harder or to run the current pace much longer.

Tomorrow is 16 miles and 6 x 800 on Tuesday. Otherwise, my running goes into easy running a.k.a rest mode until next Sunday morning.

 

Sharing on thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner