Tough Workout

On Friday, I got to run at the local high school track. I'm not the biggest fan of running in circles but the track is something I wish I could take advantage of more often, but it's not really a possibility since I like to run in the mornings and when school's in session, it's just not an option.

Anyway, I ran something that my brother Danny told me about last year. I walked a lap, then ran a mile at a comfortable pace. Walked another lap and then came the biggie: ran two miles but with a twist. I sprinted the straightaways and jogged very lightly around the bends. After eight laps of sprinting/jogging, I walked another lap, then ran another mile and then finally walked another lap.

I was worn out by the time I finished.

I ran the first mile in 9:03, so I suppose that was a decent time for me. I wasn't trying for speed, just settled into a comfortable pace. Average heart rate was 163 and maximum was 177.

After a lap of walking, I went into the sprints. My first two weren't that taxing but I really felt comfortable after the third one. I was flying, which is a relative term because I was probably going pretty slow still. I tried to look at The Garmin to see the pace and it was reading between 6:20 and 6:40 towards the end of my sprints, so that would be a very fast pace for me. I actually doubt I could hold that pace for anything more than a lap, and even a lap would be a struggle, but that's the purpose I suppose, to try and sprint and give it all you've got for short bursts.

Not only does it get you used to pushing through fatigue but it raises your heart rate quite high, lowers it, raises and lowers it over and over so it's a great workout for your heart, a bit of a different type of interval.

Anyway, my first mile I finished in 9:30 or so, just a bit slower than my first mile. Avg HR was 177 and max was 188. The next mile took me almost 10 minutes, just a hair under 10 minutes as my total time for the two miles was in the 19:20s. Avg HR was 181 and max was 189. I felt the sprints more in the second mile. I was tired and really going slow. But on my final sprint I pushed hard and glanced at The Garmin, which read 5:53 as I came out of my sprint.

I walked the lap, then jogged another mile. I finished the mile in about 9:40 I think, so it wasn't a slow mile. In fact, halfway through I was at 5:07 or so, so I figured I'd like to finish the mile in under 10 minutes. I probably should have just ran it to finish in whatever time but I was in the competitive mode because of all the sprinting so I pushed myself. The last lap was pretty tough as that's when I picked up the pace.

It was good to have gone out and done that, though. I had thought about an interval run at the gym but figured since Mrs. LB was home and able to watch the girls that I might as well take the time to head out to the track since I don't get to do that very often.

This week thus far has been a great week of running. Got in a six-miler on Monday, ran 3.2 or so on Thursday and that speed workout on Friday. With Sunday's seven-miler with the Lopers, I'll get in more than 20 miles this week!

But today's a rest day. Well, from running. I've got a long work day today, but that's fine. I'll have Sunday morning to look forward to.