Insanity Ladder Workout

Ever had one of those workouts that it just seemed like total insanity to do.  My workout this morning was just such a workout.

I typically plan my ladder workouts so that they are long and hard up front, followed by shorter, faster intervals as the workout is winding down. Running my workouts this way makes them very good race simulator workouts. Common sense for racing suggests that runners go out at a steady pace at which they can maintain for the entire race. Then, as they progress through the race course, they push harder and harder until they are sprinting to the finish.  

My insanity workout was a slight variant on this concept. The workout was 400, 800, 1200, 800, 400, 800, 1200, 800, and 400 with half distance recovery between each one.

Knowing this workout was coming; I can honestly say that I was dreading it. The opportunity to run out gas over the closing intervals was a very real prospect for me.

As I progressed through my workout, I realized it wasn’t as bad as I feared. Yes, it was hard. Yes, there is a certain aspect of suffering that is expected.  However, I am running each interval faster than I would normally do alone. Running faster is a good thing, right?

I really appreciate all that have been coming out in the mornings for these workouts. Paul and Megan usually joined for the warm up. I would specially like to thank Steve and Caleb for their efforts. Their participation makes an honest runner out of me on these Tuesday morning. Otherwise, I would probably onlt go up to the point where it hurts and say that it is enough. They help get me across that line.

With one more week in this eight week series of speed sessions, the time to come clean is here about my ladder workouts. Why do my workouts tend to be ladders instead of the normal 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 x 400 or 6, 8, or 10 x 800. Well, the answer may surprise you. I lose count. Somewhere between 6 and 10, I start asking myself if that last interval was 6, was it 7, or was it 8. Yes, I still have my lap count displayed on my Garmin, but I tend to ignore the time and intervals and just keep track of the count in my head. Running ladder workouts relives me of the need to do any counting. I know the sequence of the ladder so I know exactly what is coming next. There is never a need to count. I am not opposed to thinking while running hard, but I also realize that I do not think as well when I am running hard. I prefer to use my concentration to focusing on running not counting. Anyway, I thought everyone might enjoy understanding why I love doing ladders vs. some of the more traditional type of workouts.

 

Sharing one thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner