Getting into the speed of things: Back to the track

I woke up this morning with the need for speed. Actually it was more like I need to throw in some speed into my training mix. I’ve been sorely lacking in this department lately.

So just before 8:30 a.m. I stood staring down the high school track. I considered the task at hand. Should I do mile repeats? Or should I ease into it with one of workouts from the CFE clinic? I went with the latter.

The workout was simple. Three repeats of 200 metres, 400 metres and 600 metres. Bam! Between each set, I would rest 1 to 2 minutes. The idea was to run a faster pace in subsequent rounds.

I went full out in the first 200 metres and 400 metres. As I stood sucking back air, I forced myself to slow down. I didn’t want to be all sloppy. I wanted to maintain a good click for the final 600 metres and focus on my form. (Pacing is not my strong point.)

Rounds two and three were better. I stayed within a certain pace range (4:34-4:44) on every repeat. If I ran faster, I would be crawling that last 600 metres.

I’m feeling more comfortable in my Saucony. My calves do not ache. In fact nothing on my body is giving me grief. Yipeee! I still have to focus a lot on the “pose” running method. When I find my heels dragging, I have to readjust and carry on the proper way.

Finishing strong, I tried not glancing at my Garmin every five seconds (another bad habit). I didn’t keep track of my splits. Maybe I should? At this point in my training, I don’t think it makes too much of a difference. What do you think? 

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