Wednesday Night Speed Workout: 3 x 1600m @ 5k pace

Last night was the first week of Nike's marathon training program so there were twice as many runners at Paragon than in previous weeks. During the warmup one of the "regulars" reminded me of the cold winter days in January when there 4 or 5 of us showing up on Wednesday nights.

Anyway...since training for fall marathons is underway, Coach Kate mentioned that we would be focusing on longer workouts. Last night's workout was 3 x 1600m at 5k pace. I joined up with my usual 7:00/mi group. Surprisingly there were only 6 of us in the group. Most of the new faces joined up with the 8:00/mi + groups. 

It was not my best night on the track. I felt like I was struggling to keep up with the group. My legs were heavy and my breathing was labored. I just didn't have it last night. With that said, I did finish the workout. A facebook friend summed it up best          "Sometimes the body just doesn't want to play...that's when it all becomes mental. You did it!! So...you win. Not giving up is always the goal....you got more from that workout than usual. You completed through a struggle and that is what separates the athlete from the novice."