Today was my first attempt at doing speed work on my own in the wee hours of the morning. Coach Jeff had me down for 6 x 800m at my marathon goal time with the same amount of recovery in between. So if my goal time for the Pocono Mountain Marathon is 3 hours, 45 minutes, then I should run the 800s in 3 minutes, 45 seconds and recover for 3 minutes 45 seconds in between. These are better known as Yasso 800s. The idea is that being able to run (in minutes and seconds) ten 800s is a good predictor of your marathon goal time (in hours and minutes).
I warmed up by running to the local high school track then started the workout. It's been a while since I've done track work. When we ran 800s at Nike Speed they were always at a slightly than faster 5k pace. I thought, if I could do 800 at 3:30, surely 6 x 800 at 3:45 would be no problem. I really didn't know what an 3:45 800 felt like so I started out at what felt like a comfortable pace. Turns out my first split was 3:31, really? Since when did 3:31 feel comfortable? I recover and begin 800 #2. Guess what my split was? Anybody? Bueller? All right, I'll tell you, 3:30! Clearly my body shifted to auto pilot and charted a course that was different than the original. I said to myself, WTF Ansky, just run these at the pace you know how to and talk to Coach about it later. With that mindset, I finished the remaining intervals in 3:28, 3:27, 3:29, and 3:28.
I mentioned this to Coach later in the day and he replied back, "Fantastic, then we make 3:28 your new marathon goal time." I wasn't sure if he joking, serious, or some of both. Honestly, I think 3:28 is way out my league. I know I'm usually the first person to tell other not to sell themselves short, but going from a current marathon PR of 3:52 to 3:28 seems nuts. After some back and forth, coach and I agreed that it was too early in the training cycle to make a decision. So for now we're going to play it by ear see how the training goes. At the very least I am encouraged that I was able to crank out a good set 800s early on in the training cycle.
Showing posts with label Speed Workouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speed Workouts. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Speed Work with Speedy Sasquatch - Week 3
Speedy Sasquatch is certifiably insane. Tuesday night's workout involved 6 Cat Hill repeats on "dead legs" and in between each interval we were to do as many push-ups as we could. In order to tire our legs, SS had us to 30 walking lunges.
and 40 sumo squats
We then warmed up to the Boathouse which marked the starting point for the Cat Hill repeats. My legs definitely felt tired but my splits were pretty consistent: 1:51, 1:47, 1:50, 1:49, 1:45, 1:47. I had trouble with the push-ups. I have bursitis in my shoulder that started to flare up and made it difficult to complete 10 push-ups. I did the best I could, completing at least 5 between each interval. I started to feel the burn in my legs during the cool-down and on the way home. In fact, I'm still feeling some residual soreness today.
Sadly though, I will not be doing speed work with SS and the Tuesday night Twitter gang. Coach Jeff put together a training plan to help me prepare for the Pocono Marathon. His plan includes track workouts, which I will have to do on my own. This will take some getting used to as I've always done speed work in a group setting. However, I would be doing a disservice to Jeff if I did not stick to his plan. I enjoy the camaraderie of group speed workouts but I know that Jeff's plan will get me to May 16 healthy, strong, and full of confidence.
So thank you SS for the workouts and to the other Tuesday night speedsters for their company. I hope that we can continue to meet up at races and at Tweet-up runs. If you are an early bird like me, let's meet up for a run before work.
and 40 sumo squats
We then warmed up to the Boathouse which marked the starting point for the Cat Hill repeats. My legs definitely felt tired but my splits were pretty consistent: 1:51, 1:47, 1:50, 1:49, 1:45, 1:47. I had trouble with the push-ups. I have bursitis in my shoulder that started to flare up and made it difficult to complete 10 push-ups. I did the best I could, completing at least 5 between each interval. I started to feel the burn in my legs during the cool-down and on the way home. In fact, I'm still feeling some residual soreness today.
Sadly though, I will not be doing speed work with SS and the Tuesday night Twitter gang. Coach Jeff put together a training plan to help me prepare for the Pocono Marathon. His plan includes track workouts, which I will have to do on my own. This will take some getting used to as I've always done speed work in a group setting. However, I would be doing a disservice to Jeff if I did not stick to his plan. I enjoy the camaraderie of group speed workouts but I know that Jeff's plan will get me to May 16 healthy, strong, and full of confidence.
So thank you SS for the workouts and to the other Tuesday night speedsters for their company. I hope that we can continue to meet up at races and at Tweet-up runs. If you are an early bird like me, let's meet up for a run before work.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Speedwork with SpeedySasquatch - Week 2
SS promised the gang an easier workout since all of us ran the Manhattan Half Marathon 2 days before. There were fewer of us this week as some decided not to do speedwork. Fortunately, EG and EH were there to pace me. The workout was pretty simple, 1mi warm-up followed by 6x3mi "surges" with 2 minute recovery in between.
It was the ideal recovery workout after a hard effort on Sunday. The surges were just enough to get the blood pumping but it wasn't overly taxing on the body. Once again, the three of us worked together during the surges to run a comfortably hard pace we could all maintain. With 10 seconds left in the last surge, EH showed off her finishing kick. That girl's got quite a kick. Turns out we got some good mileage in last night, 7.06mi in 1:04:09. This includes the warm-up, cool-down, and 2 minute recoveries.
Next week SS promised a painful workout. I think I might have a doctor's appointment or some other previous obligation.
It was the ideal recovery workout after a hard effort on Sunday. The surges were just enough to get the blood pumping but it wasn't overly taxing on the body. Once again, the three of us worked together during the surges to run a comfortably hard pace we could all maintain. With 10 seconds left in the last surge, EH showed off her finishing kick. That girl's got quite a kick. Turns out we got some good mileage in last night, 7.06mi in 1:04:09. This includes the warm-up, cool-down, and 2 minute recoveries.
Next week SS promised a painful workout. I think I might have a doctor's appointment or some other previous obligation.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Speedwork with Speedy Sasquatch
Tuesday night I met up with a small group in Central Park for some mile repeats led by NYC-based Twitter coach Speedy Sasquatch (SS). He informs his followers via Twitter that he is in the park every Tuesday night for speedwork and invites others to join him. I've been itching to start doing speedwork again and the Nike speed session that meet at Paragon Sports every Wednesday night have not started up yet. SS told us that we'll be doing 4 mile repeats at a "comfortably hard" pace and that we should aim to run each repeat within 10 seconds of each other. I grouped up with EG, AC, ES, all of whom I had met before at previous tweet-up runs and a new to me runner-tweeter, EH. We decided that we would aim for a 7:40 pace. We were all surprised when we saw a 7:20 split for the first mile. The pace felt hard but at the same we were able to have short conversations. We stayed on pace for miles 2 (7:19) and 3 (7:13). About half way through the last mile, EG and AC started pushing the pace, I went with them and we finished in 6:59. Boy did it feel good run fast again.
After the workout, we all commented on how much fun (did I just say that mile repeats were fun?) we had doing speedwork with a small group. Many of us have done group speedwork with much larger groups in the past with mixed results. I started out with the NYRR running classes. I enjoyed the workouts but I felt that the coaches weren't that interested in how your training was going. The Wednesday night Nike Speed workouts worked for me but like I said they haven't started up yet. Tuesday night's workout was a lot fun. We all worked together and it was more interesting doing them in Central Park than doing 1600s on a track.
My 18 week training plan for the Pocono Mountain Marathon starts this Sunday with the Manhattan Half Marathon. I'm looking forward to these weekly workouts with SS, I think I'll really benefit from them as a gear up for May 16.
After the workout, we all commented on how much fun (did I just say that mile repeats were fun?) we had doing speedwork with a small group. Many of us have done group speedwork with much larger groups in the past with mixed results. I started out with the NYRR running classes. I enjoyed the workouts but I felt that the coaches weren't that interested in how your training was going. The Wednesday night Nike Speed workouts worked for me but like I said they haven't started up yet. Tuesday night's workout was a lot fun. We all worked together and it was more interesting doing them in Central Park than doing 1600s on a track.
My 18 week training plan for the Pocono Mountain Marathon starts this Sunday with the Manhattan Half Marathon. I'm looking forward to these weekly workouts with SS, I think I'll really benefit from them as a gear up for May 16.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed: 9-16-09
What a difference a few weeks make. The last time I wrote about Nike Speed I was hemming and hawing about how I couldn't finish a workout for the third week in a row. August was a brutally hot month and the humidity was aggravating my asthma. For the past few weeks, life got in the way and I couldn't make it to the workouts. Well it's now September. For the most part, the mornings and evenings have been cool and crisp. Perfect running weather.
I didn't feel in 7:00 shape so I decided to drop down and join EN and others in the 7:30 group. The workout for our group was 1600, 2000, 1600 at 5k pace. I have to say that this was the best track workout I've had in while. My legs felt fresh and my asthma was under control, so much so that I was able to pick up the pace for the final 400 on the second 1600. Here are the splits:
1600: 7:18
2000: 9:16
1600: 7:11
The run back to Paragon did not go so well. Around 1st Ave., I REALLY needed to find a bathroom. I thought I saw one in a park across the street but it was locked. Thankfully a restaraunt on the corner was nice to enough to let me use their facilities. Thanks to EN for waiting for me. Then, a few blocks away from Paragon, I caught my foot in an uneven part of the sidewalk and SMACK! right into a lamp post. I saw that my kneee was bloody and when I got back to Paragon, I had a cut on my nose as well. When I got home, my right side started to hurt so much that I was screaming in pain if I bent down or twisted the wrong way. Today I woke up to a huge welt on my right arm and my side is still hurts pretty bad. I didn't workout today and won't tomorrow. With Rosh Hashana this weekend, I have 2 more days to rest. Hopefully by Monday I'll feel OK to run again.
I didn't feel in 7:00 shape so I decided to drop down and join EN and others in the 7:30 group. The workout for our group was 1600, 2000, 1600 at 5k pace. I have to say that this was the best track workout I've had in while. My legs felt fresh and my asthma was under control, so much so that I was able to pick up the pace for the final 400 on the second 1600. Here are the splits:
1600: 7:18
2000: 9:16
1600: 7:11
The run back to Paragon did not go so well. Around 1st Ave., I REALLY needed to find a bathroom. I thought I saw one in a park across the street but it was locked. Thankfully a restaraunt on the corner was nice to enough to let me use their facilities. Thanks to EN for waiting for me. Then, a few blocks away from Paragon, I caught my foot in an uneven part of the sidewalk and SMACK! right into a lamp post. I saw that my kneee was bloody and when I got back to Paragon, I had a cut on my nose as well. When I got home, my right side started to hurt so much that I was screaming in pain if I bent down or twisted the wrong way. Today I woke up to a huge welt on my right arm and my side is still hurts pretty bad. I didn't workout today and won't tomorrow. With Rosh Hashana this weekend, I have 2 more days to rest. Hopefully by Monday I'll feel OK to run again.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Workout - 8/19/09
Last night's workout called for 5 x 800m at 5K pace with recovery at marathon pace instead of a slow jog. The humdity was high again last night in NYC so I decided to move down a group and do the workout with the 7:30 group. Terrence was pacing last night, I've never run with him before so I didn't know what to expect. The slower pace felt comfortable and I didn't feel any signs of an asthma flare up. I thought to myself, finally I will be able to complete a workout. Split for the first interval was 3:39.
During the faster recovery Terrence asked the group if we wanted to go a little faster. I thought to myself, uh oh, here we go again. The 2nd interval did feel faster but I was able to keep up. Split for the 2nd interval was 3:33. Defintely faster but I felt like if Terrence kept the pace around 3:33 - 3:35 I could defintely finish the workout. Once again, Terrence asked if we wanted to go faster. Some in the group said yes, I was in the minority. Terrence picked up the pace again and we finished the 3rd interval in 3:30. That's the pace I ran last week with the 7:00 minute group. I started to have trouble breathing but joined the group for the 4th interval which we also finished in 3:30. After this one, I knew I had enough. I simply couldn't get any air into my lungs. I did the 400m recovery and began the run back to Paragon.
This is the 3rd week in a row where I couldn't finish the workout. I know that high humidity and asthma do not mix. Speed night is the only time this happens. I can crank out long and tempo runs at a decent clips. It's the short bursts of speed that do me in. On my way home I Tweeted that I didn't finish the workout. Both Scott and Allen commented that I shouldn't think about it too much and that I'll better when cooler weather finally comes back.
What pissed me off more about last night was the way Terrence was pacing the group. If he's there to run the intervals based on 7:30/mi then he should stick to that. Do not ask the group if they want to go faster. What's the point of splitting up into pace groups if the pacer is not going to stick to the pace? If others in the group wanted to run at a faster pace then they should move up to the faster group. I spoke to Brad about this afterwards and he agreed. He paced the 7:00 group and his splits were consistenly at 3:30, right where they should be. He didn't ask the group to go faster. He stuck to the pace.
Ok, enough ranting...so where does this leave me? As long as the humidity is high, I resigned to that fact that I cannot run with same intensity as I can when it's cooler. I'm going to focus on doing as many quality intervals as I can. When I feel like I've had enough I will stop. It's not worth putting myself in the ER just so I can complete a workout.
During the faster recovery Terrence asked the group if we wanted to go a little faster. I thought to myself, uh oh, here we go again. The 2nd interval did feel faster but I was able to keep up. Split for the 2nd interval was 3:33. Defintely faster but I felt like if Terrence kept the pace around 3:33 - 3:35 I could defintely finish the workout. Once again, Terrence asked if we wanted to go faster. Some in the group said yes, I was in the minority. Terrence picked up the pace again and we finished the 3rd interval in 3:30. That's the pace I ran last week with the 7:00 minute group. I started to have trouble breathing but joined the group for the 4th interval which we also finished in 3:30. After this one, I knew I had enough. I simply couldn't get any air into my lungs. I did the 400m recovery and began the run back to Paragon.
This is the 3rd week in a row where I couldn't finish the workout. I know that high humidity and asthma do not mix. Speed night is the only time this happens. I can crank out long and tempo runs at a decent clips. It's the short bursts of speed that do me in. On my way home I Tweeted that I didn't finish the workout. Both Scott and Allen commented that I shouldn't think about it too much and that I'll better when cooler weather finally comes back.
What pissed me off more about last night was the way Terrence was pacing the group. If he's there to run the intervals based on 7:30/mi then he should stick to that. Do not ask the group if they want to go faster. What's the point of splitting up into pace groups if the pacer is not going to stick to the pace? If others in the group wanted to run at a faster pace then they should move up to the faster group. I spoke to Brad about this afterwards and he agreed. He paced the 7:00 group and his splits were consistenly at 3:30, right where they should be. He didn't ask the group to go faster. He stuck to the pace.
Ok, enough ranting...so where does this leave me? As long as the humidity is high, I resigned to that fact that I cannot run with same intensity as I can when it's cooler. I'm going to focus on doing as many quality intervals as I can. When I feel like I've had enough I will stop. It's not worth putting myself in the ER just so I can complete a workout.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Workout - 8/12/09
Wednesday night's speed workout was a downward ladder. In short a downward ladder workout is one where the distance of the interval decreases but the intensity increase. I was hoping to bounce back after last week's incomplete workout. I was unsure if I should even do the workout since I gave blood the day before. The Running Laminator discussed the topic from a medical perspective. Others on Twitter said I should try the workout but I would feel the effects of the blood donation.
It was hard to gague how I felt during the warm-up so I joined my usual 7:00/mi group. The workout started with 1600m at 5k pace. I felt OK but defintely felt myself working harder than usual. Split time for the 1600 was 6:56. After a 400m recovery the group started the 1200m. This is where I started to fall behind. I decided then and there not to push to keep up with the group but rather to finish the interval at a comfortable pace. 1200m split was 5:19. After another 400 recovery came the 800. Again, I ran my own pace and did the 800 in 3:30 which is about the same pace as the 800s I did last week. Not so bad. After the 800, I knew I couldn't push myself anymore so I skipped the 600 and started the cooldown back to Paragon.
I'm not going to hem and haw this week about how I didn't finish the workout. Rather I'll quote a Tweet TK sent me that night "Worth sacrificing a good workout for a good deed."
It was hard to gague how I felt during the warm-up so I joined my usual 7:00/mi group. The workout started with 1600m at 5k pace. I felt OK but defintely felt myself working harder than usual. Split time for the 1600 was 6:56. After a 400m recovery the group started the 1200m. This is where I started to fall behind. I decided then and there not to push to keep up with the group but rather to finish the interval at a comfortable pace. 1200m split was 5:19. After another 400 recovery came the 800. Again, I ran my own pace and did the 800 in 3:30 which is about the same pace as the 800s I did last week. Not so bad. After the 800, I knew I couldn't push myself anymore so I skipped the 600 and started the cooldown back to Paragon.
I'm not going to hem and haw this week about how I didn't finish the workout. Rather I'll quote a Tweet TK sent me that night "Worth sacrificing a good workout for a good deed."
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Workout - 8/5/09
Last night's workout called for 6 x 800m at 5k pace. It was a typical hot and humid summer evening in NYC. When we got to the track, I decided to run with the 7:00/mi group. I know, 2 weeks ago I wrote about dropping down to the 7:30/mi group for the rest of the summer, but I felt pretty good during the warm-up and decided to run with the faster group.
Over the past few weeks, Coach Kate has been stressing to push ourselves and that it's OK to run an incomplete workout at a faster pace. That is exactly what transpired last night. As you can see from the splits, I only did 5 out of 6 intervals. As the workout progressed, I felt my asthma starting to flare up. At the end of the 5th interval I knew I had enough. So I played it safe and called it quits after the 5th interval. The good news is , the 5 intervals I did were all quality intervals. My pace was spot on, finishing each interval in either 3:29 or 3:30.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Workout: 7/22/09
Last night was one of the "off Wednesdays" where instead of going to the E. 6th St. track we did a tempo run on the West Side Highway rec path. The humidity was high and I could tell during the warm-up from Paragon that I was feeling slow and my asthma was acting up a little. Until now, I did all of my workouts with the 7:00/mi (for a 5k) group. Last night I decided to run with the 7:30/mi group. Lauren, who by the way won her age group in last Saturday's NYRR race, paced my group. I made the right decision running with this group. The first 2 miles of the run felt very comfortable. Lauren picked up the pace for the last 2 and this is where the humidity started to get to me. I just told myself that it's OK not to be at the front of the group. I ran at a pace that was comfortable to finish the workout. My Garmin did not record the workout since the memory was full and I needed to delete some older run to free up some memory. I think I finished the tempo run in approximately 31:30 which comes out to 7:53/mile. Not bad considering the humidity.
Based on last night, I will probably drop down to the 7:30 group for the remainder of the summer. The humidity is high and the last thing I need is to end up in the ER with an asthma attack. I'd rather have a quality workout than a crappy one or something worse.
Lastly, it was great to see some familiar faces back at Nike Speed. I haven't seen EN, JD, or JN since our spring marathons. Also, it was nice to meet Jenna who was trying out Nike Speed for the first time.
Based on last night, I will probably drop down to the 7:30 group for the remainder of the summer. The humidity is high and the last thing I need is to end up in the ER with an asthma attack. I'd rather have a quality workout than a crappy one or something worse.
Lastly, it was great to see some familiar faces back at Nike Speed. I haven't seen EN, JD, or JN since our spring marathons. Also, it was nice to meet Jenna who was trying out Nike Speed for the first time.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
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."
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."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Session 6/24/09
Last night's workout was a "ladder" workout: 800m/1200m/1600m/1200m/800m. Before we started Coach Kate said we'll be running the first 3 intervals at 5k pace and the last 2 at 3k pace. The goal was to help work on our strength at the end of a race when we are feeling tired.
Here's how the workout unfolded:
800m: 3:30
200m recovery
1200m: 5:11
200m recovery
1600m: 6:56
400m recovery
1200m: 5:06
800m: 3:24
This workout kicked my ass. I was so tired at the end that the run back to Paragon felt hard.
It was a pretty soupy night in NYC and the humidity started to affect my asthma. It was quite a chore running the last 1200 & 800 faster than the first. But I did it and that's all the matters.
Here's how the workout unfolded:
800m: 3:30
200m recovery
1200m: 5:11
200m recovery
1600m: 6:56
400m recovery
1200m: 5:06
800m: 3:24
This workout kicked my ass. I was so tired at the end that the run back to Paragon felt hard.
It was a pretty soupy night in NYC and the humidity started to affect my asthma. It was quite a chore running the last 1200 & 800 faster than the first. But I did it and that's all the matters.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Series - 6/17/09
I had a very stressful day at work today. I am in the home stretch of a huge project and we are trying to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Tonight was one of those nights where I wanted to get on the track on release a lot of the tension from the day. Fortunately, Coach Kate, had an aggressive workout planned for tonight, 5x1000m with only a 200m recovery.With the short recovery pacing was the key. The goal with every speed workout is to run each interval at or just around the same pace. The other thing is, Kate is really pushing the intensity and encouraging all runners to push their limits and get people to move up a group.
On the way to the track I thought about running with the 7:30/mi group to ease my way back into speed work. If you remember 2 weeks ago I had a hard time with Fartlek run. I also ran a pretty fast race at the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge last Thursday and I will be racing a 5 miler this Sunday. Pacer Joe was leading the 7:00/mi group tonight and he encouraged me to run with the faster group. I'm happy I did. I ended up having a great workout.
The intervals are numbers 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. After tonight's workout, I have a good feeling that I'll run a good race this Sunday. If anyone who reads this blog will be running this Sunday, please let me know. I'd love to meet some of you.
On the way to the track I thought about running with the 7:30/mi group to ease my way back into speed work. If you remember 2 weeks ago I had a hard time with Fartlek run. I also ran a pretty fast race at the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge last Thursday and I will be racing a 5 miler this Sunday. Pacer Joe was leading the 7:00/mi group tonight and he encouraged me to run with the faster group. I'm happy I did. I ended up having a great workout.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
National Running Day
Due to work conflicts, I had to reschedule my dentist appointment that would have prevented me from going back to Nike Speed tonight. Now that I didn't have my appointment, I thought it would be great to celebrate National Running Day by doing some speedwork. The last time I did speedwork was 6 weeks ago. I wanted to give myself a full month after my marathon before doing speedwork again.
Earlier in the day, Coach Kate posted the workout on the RUN NYC Facebook page, between 4 and 8 600m with a 200m recovery in between, with optional 2x200 at the end. I thought "good lord, how the hell I'm going do this?" Fortunately, the weather gods did not want us to go to the track tonight. When I got off the subway at Union Square, it was raining pretty steadily. My immediate reaction was to get back on the subway and go home but something was pulling me towards Paragon. I said "if I can run 26.2 in the rain, I can do some speedwork." And with that I went downstairs, checked my bag, and started to stretch. It was great to see all the pacers, especially Brad who was back after recovering from his 2:41:xx at the London Marathon. Anyway, Kate announced that instead of going to the the track we'd be doing a Fartlek run on the West Side Highway.
On to the workout... the goal was to run five 3 minute "pickups" with a 2 minute recovery in between. After a good warmup we began the workout. I was able to keep up for the first pickup but the started to struggle. My legs felt fine, the problem was with my breathing. Brad told me that it was going to feel hard since my body needed time to reacclimate itself to speedwork. I found myself in an unusual spot, I couldn't keep up with the group. A workout that once came easy to me was all of a sudden difficult. Brad sensed this and fell back to keep me company. He told me to relax, concentrate on my form, forget about trying to keep up with the group, and run my own pace. What he also did was keep me honest by making sure I didn't throw in the towel. On the way back to Paragon, other runners and pacers asked me how my workout was, I answered with one word "HARD." It's going to take me a few weeks to get used to speedwork again but it's well worth the wait.
Map, splits, and other stuff can be found here: Wednesday Night Speed Session.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Session - 4/22/09
I was looking forward to last night night's workout. I missed the 2 workouts because of Passover so I wanted to get one last speed workout in before NJM. I noticed there were a lot of new faces there last night. It's great to see fellow runners trying to get faster.
Last night's workout was 2x800 @5K pace, 2x600 @3k pace, and 2x400 @mile pace. The traffice lights agreed with us last night so we got to the track earlier than expected. Joe, the pacer for the 6:30 group, imediately told his group that they'd be doing a 1200 before the 800s. That gave my pacer, Tiffany, the idea of running an extra 800. Great!
Here are the splits for the workout:
800s: 3:23, 3:29, 3:31. Tiffany felt the first one was too fast so she slowed us down for the last 2.
600s: 2:30, 2:29
400s: 1:30, 1:31
By the time we got to the 400s, I was really struggling. My legs felt like jello but I grinded through it.
This was a good workout to say goodbye to Nike Speed for a while. It kicked my ass, but it restored some confidence that was missing. I've blogged recently about feeling undertrained for NJM. After last night, I feel a lot better. On the cooldown back to Paragon I talked to Joe about feeling undertrained. He reassuered me that I've put in the miles, that I've been coming to Nike Speed regularly, and said that I'd do great on May 3. I really needed the boost.
Starting next week, I'll be taking a break from Nike Speed until early June. I will start running about a week after NJM but the pacers suggested I take about a month off before I come back.
I'm not going out of my mind yet with the taper. I have a feeling that will come next week.
Last night's workout was 2x800 @5K pace, 2x600 @3k pace, and 2x400 @mile pace. The traffice lights agreed with us last night so we got to the track earlier than expected. Joe, the pacer for the 6:30 group, imediately told his group that they'd be doing a 1200 before the 800s. That gave my pacer, Tiffany, the idea of running an extra 800. Great!
Here are the splits for the workout:
800s: 3:23, 3:29, 3:31. Tiffany felt the first one was too fast so she slowed us down for the last 2.
600s: 2:30, 2:29
400s: 1:30, 1:31
By the time we got to the 400s, I was really struggling. My legs felt like jello but I grinded through it.
This was a good workout to say goodbye to Nike Speed for a while. It kicked my ass, but it restored some confidence that was missing. I've blogged recently about feeling undertrained for NJM. After last night, I feel a lot better. On the cooldown back to Paragon I talked to Joe about feeling undertrained. He reassuered me that I've put in the miles, that I've been coming to Nike Speed regularly, and said that I'd do great on May 3. I really needed the boost.
Starting next week, I'll be taking a break from Nike Speed until early June. I will start running about a week after NJM but the pacers suggested I take about a month off before I come back.
I'm not going out of my mind yet with the taper. I have a feeling that will come next week.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Session - 4/1/09
The weather had been kind of crappy all day with on and off rain and wind. I seriously debated not going last night but I really wanted to get the speed workout in knowing that I would be missing the next 2 workouts because of Passover. Last night's workout was described by Coach Kate as a strength building workout and would consist of (for my group) a 1600m, followed by a 2000m, followed by a 1600m all at 5k pace. We were back on the track again after last week's tempo run on the West Side. When left Paragon for the run to the track it was raining pretty steadily. For a few moments I thought about turning around and going home but, for some strange reason, I decided to stick with it.
The rain slowed to a drizzle once we got to the track. After some stretching, Pacer Tiffany was ready to pace my group. We did the first 1600m in 6:59:53, right on pace. The 2000m was hard. This was the longest interval I've done since I started Nike speed. We finished the 2000m in 8:45:98. Finally the last 1600m. Brad took over for Tiffany and paced us through the first 3 laps. He then peeled off and me another runner did the last lap ourselves. I let the other runner take the lead as my shoes were wet and heavy. We finished the last 1600m in 6:49:92 10 seconds faster than the first! Without a doubt, this was the hardest workout we've done so far. I'm happy I decided to stick with it. Here is a link to the workout Wednesday Night Speed Session
I've developed friendships with some of the runners in the group. Now that our spring races are upon us, we won't be together for a while. JD is running Boston, TK, if her injured hammy heals, will hopefully be running London, and I will be running New Jersey. Hopefully we will all come back to the track once we are fully recovered and ready to start training for our fall races.
The rain slowed to a drizzle once we got to the track. After some stretching, Pacer Tiffany was ready to pace my group. We did the first 1600m in 6:59:53, right on pace. The 2000m was hard. This was the longest interval I've done since I started Nike speed. We finished the 2000m in 8:45:98. Finally the last 1600m. Brad took over for Tiffany and paced us through the first 3 laps. He then peeled off and me another runner did the last lap ourselves. I let the other runner take the lead as my shoes were wet and heavy. We finished the last 1600m in 6:49:92 10 seconds faster than the first! Without a doubt, this was the hardest workout we've done so far. I'm happy I decided to stick with it. Here is a link to the workout Wednesday Night Speed Session
I've developed friendships with some of the runners in the group. Now that our spring races are upon us, we won't be together for a while. JD is running Boston, TK, if her injured hammy heals, will hopefully be running London, and I will be running New Jersey. Hopefully we will all come back to the track once we are fully recovered and ready to start training for our fall races.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Session - 3/25/09
Coach Kate decided to take us off the track and on the West Side running path for a 3 mile tempo run. A bunch of people, myself included, in the group were disappointed because Yves-Marc said last week that we would be doing 400s this week. Brad was once again pacing the 7:00/mile group, except this time he said he wanted us to lead and he would come along for the ride. Since our 5k pace is around 7:00/mile our target pace for the tempo should have been around 7:15 One of the runners who calls herself "The Machine" took the lead and set a very fast pace, around 6:45. I have to admit that the pace didn't feel that hard. The run got harder when we turned around at 57th St. Now we were running into the wind. Our pace slowed but we were able to average 6:59 for the run. What was supposed to be a tempo run turned into a 5k race run. Run details can be found here (lap 7 is the tempo run).
When we got back to Paragon there was a treat waiting for us. TK treated the group to some yummy homemade sour cream fudge drop cookies in celebration of her birthday.
When we got back to Paragon there was a treat waiting for us. TK treated the group to some yummy homemade sour cream fudge drop cookies in celebration of her birthday.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Series
Every 4 or 5 weeks the group does what is called a "Fit Test." The purpose of this is measure your progress since the last test. The first time I did this workout I ran with Pacer Brad, who at the time paced 7:30 group. The second time around I ran with 7:00 group but it was more like a 7:15 group. Over the past few weeks, I've been very comfortable running with the 7:00 so I had no qualms running with that group once again. Just like the last 2 fit tests, the workout for our group was 3 x 1600m. Brad's goal was to be right around 7:00 for each interval. The group nailed the workout finishing the intervals in 6:59, 7:00, and 6:59. Here is a link to the workout (laps 3, 5, & 7 are the intervals): Wednesday Night Speed Series
I think the 6:30 group is still out of my league but clearly progress is being made.
I think the 6:30 group is still out of my league but clearly progress is being made.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Session - 3/12/09
After last week's somewhat unusual workout, it was nice be back on the East 6th Track last night. I was not dressed properly for the weather. Temperatures were in the mid-50s and I was wearing a long sleeve tech shirt and tights. I should have been wearing short sleeves and shorts. Thankfully, I was not the only one overdressed. There were a few other guys dressed in a similar fashion while most of the women in the group were dressed properly.
Last night's workout was a downward ladder. After the usual warmup to the track and some stretching we began the workout. Pacer Lauren was pacing the 7:00/mile (5k pace) group. We started off with a 1600m (1 mile or 4 laps), then a 1200m (3/4 of a mile or 3 laps), 800m (1/2 a mile, capped off with a 400m (1/4 mile or 1 lap). After Sunday's 20 miler, my legs were loving the soft surface of the track. I apologize for not providing splits but the battery on my Garmin died.
One last thing... co-worker JS, whom I've mentioned on this blog before, decided to check out the group last night. He's training for a the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in D.C. in a few weeks. JS ran with Pacer Brad at about an 8:30 pace. I caught up with JS during the cooldown on the way back to Paragon. He mentioned that he really enjoyed the speedwork and hopes to come again next week. It's nice to know that I'm playing a small part in getting someone else interested in our sport.
Last night's workout was a downward ladder. After the usual warmup to the track and some stretching we began the workout. Pacer Lauren was pacing the 7:00/mile (5k pace) group. We started off with a 1600m (1 mile or 4 laps), then a 1200m (3/4 of a mile or 3 laps), 800m (1/2 a mile, capped off with a 400m (1/4 mile or 1 lap). After Sunday's 20 miler, my legs were loving the soft surface of the track. I apologize for not providing splits but the battery on my Garmin died.
One last thing... co-worker JS, whom I've mentioned on this blog before, decided to check out the group last night. He's training for a the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in D.C. in a few weeks. JS ran with Pacer Brad at about an 8:30 pace. I caught up with JS during the cooldown on the way back to Paragon. He mentioned that he really enjoyed the speedwork and hopes to come again next week. It's nice to know that I'm playing a small part in getting someone else interested in our sport.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Butt Kicks, Skipping, High Knees, and Grapvines Oh My!
With the East 6th track covered in snow and Yves-Marc (who was subbing for Coach Kate) thinking we've run one too many Fartleks on the West Side, YM decided to shake thing up tonight. We ran loops around Washington Square Park and incorporated some "old school" type running drills. We did 8 loops of the park, 4 with drills and 4 without. Before leaving Paragon, YM and the other pacers demonstrated the drills:
Butt Kicks: the purpose of this drill is to run to your feet touch your butt. Click here for a demonstration of the butt kick
Skipping: There were two levels of skipping; Level 1 was the way we skipped when we were kids. Level 2 was more like a hop than a skip. The goal was to get good height off the leg you're pushing off. Here is Jamaican Sprinter Asafa Powell demonstrating the level 2 skip.
High Knees: This is similar to Level 2 Skipping but with less height. The goal was to get our knees towards our chin. It's very similar to the drill you football players do when they go through the tires. Here is Mr. Powell demonstrating high knees
Grapevine: this is very hard to explain and I failed miserably at it. The goal was to strengthen the hips by putting one leg in front then in back creating a twisting like motion. It's a common dance move, and I'm a terrible dancer. Check this out to get a better sense.
YM and Pacer Joe mentioned that all of the drills, while not traditional track intervals, are still designed to increase your turnover and stregthen your quads, calves, and hips.
It's not exactly what I was expecting when I showed up at Paraon tonight but it was nice to do something different. I'm definitely feeling the effect of the workout in my quads and calves. With some warmer forecasted for the weekend, we hope to back on the track next week.
Butt Kicks: the purpose of this drill is to run to your feet touch your butt. Click here for a demonstration of the butt kick
Skipping: There were two levels of skipping; Level 1 was the way we skipped when we were kids. Level 2 was more like a hop than a skip. The goal was to get good height off the leg you're pushing off. Here is Jamaican Sprinter Asafa Powell demonstrating the level 2 skip.
High Knees: This is similar to Level 2 Skipping but with less height. The goal was to get our knees towards our chin. It's very similar to the drill you football players do when they go through the tires. Here is Mr. Powell demonstrating high knees
Grapevine: this is very hard to explain and I failed miserably at it. The goal was to strengthen the hips by putting one leg in front then in back creating a twisting like motion. It's a common dance move, and I'm a terrible dancer. Check this out to get a better sense.
YM and Pacer Joe mentioned that all of the drills, while not traditional track intervals, are still designed to increase your turnover and stregthen your quads, calves, and hips.
It's not exactly what I was expecting when I showed up at Paraon tonight but it was nice to do something different. I'm definitely feeling the effect of the workout in my quads and calves. With some warmer forecasted for the weekend, we hope to back on the track next week.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday Night Speed Session - 2/25/09
Tonight's workout was 5 x 1000m intervals at 5k pace. Coach Kate wanted to get the group, or at least those who are running it, fired up for the Coogan's 5k. It was a great night for a run, no rain and not too cold. The group was larger than usual, I guess people are starting to come out of hibernation and realize they need to get their asses in gear for their spring races.
On the way to the track, Brad caught up with me and asked how the Cherry Tree 10 Miler went for me. I told him last week that my goal was to run that race at a tempo pace and race my half marathon this Sunday. As I said in my race report, I ended up running it at a race pace. Brad, "strongly suggested" that I take it easy this Sunday. I will do my best to listen to him. Racing back to back weekends is usually not recommended so I will make an effort to run my half at an easy pace.
We took the usual route to the track, stretched, and then broke up in groups. Kevin was taking the night off again to rest his achilles. Brad, last week's pacer, paced the sub-7 minute per mile group tonight. Tiffany was charged with pacing the 7:00 - 7:15ish group. Before we started, Tiffany said that she wanted to keep the interval splits as close together as possible but still have enough left for a fast last interval. Here are the splits for 4 out of the 5 intervals (I accidentally reset my watch after the 1st one):
4:32
4:24
4:27
4:13 - before the last interval Tiffany said that if anyone had something left in the tank when we got to the last 200, to blast past her. That's exactly what I did.
On the way to the track, Brad caught up with me and asked how the Cherry Tree 10 Miler went for me. I told him last week that my goal was to run that race at a tempo pace and race my half marathon this Sunday. As I said in my race report, I ended up running it at a race pace. Brad, "strongly suggested" that I take it easy this Sunday. I will do my best to listen to him. Racing back to back weekends is usually not recommended so I will make an effort to run my half at an easy pace.
We took the usual route to the track, stretched, and then broke up in groups. Kevin was taking the night off again to rest his achilles. Brad, last week's pacer, paced the sub-7 minute per mile group tonight. Tiffany was charged with pacing the 7:00 - 7:15ish group. Before we started, Tiffany said that she wanted to keep the interval splits as close together as possible but still have enough left for a fast last interval. Here are the splits for 4 out of the 5 intervals (I accidentally reset my watch after the 1st one):
4:32
4:24
4:27
4:13 - before the last interval Tiffany said that if anyone had something left in the tank when we got to the last 200, to blast past her. That's exactly what I did.
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