Thursday, December 1, 2011

Speed Demon! Or Maybe Not…

Week of November 27, 2011:

Run: Wednesday

I have a new running buddy!  Christy and I went running two days over Thanksgiving weekend, and I think we’ve decided to train for the upcoming Armadillo Dash half-marathon together.  It’s been really fun to have a buddy who is eager to run with me, despite the very chilly weather we had last Sunday.

When it comes to running buddies, compromise is often a necessity.  I’ve told Christy that we’ll run at her pace, and it doesn’t bother me if it’s slower than I might run on my own.  For the 2012 Dash, I’m not looking for a new PR; I’m just looking for the fun and health benefits of a good training season and then a fun race at the end.  I know that running helps to lift my mood and keep me feeling focused, energized, and positive about life, and I need that now more than ever.

So speed demons we are not on our runs together.  In light of that truth, I decided to hop on the treadmill last night to see if I couldn’t crank out two 8-minute miles.  And I could not.  I warmed up, and once I was running the 8-mile/min. pace, I realized just how hard it was.  It was hard, y’all!  I decided I could push through one mile at that pace, which was exciting.  And then I was done.  Whew!  Let’s do it again next week, shall we?

Have you had any good speed work-outs lately, dear readers?  Any failed attempts to run faster?  Does anyone else overestimate her fitness sometimes like I do?

5 comments:

  1. This summer I did quarter mile sprints on a track by our house, and had several that were under 2 minutes. I would do one lap walking, one lap sprinting, usually going two miles total. I thought they were great for giving my body confidence that it COULD actually go that fast. 9 minute miles don't seem so fast after pacing out 7 and a half.

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  2. JD, I love short-distance sprints! They seem so much less intimidating than running hard for several miles. Maybe I'll mix it up and do some 2-minute intervals at 8:00/mile on ye olde treadmille.

    So, we're going to run together this month, right? I just hope I don't die in Michigan's bone-chilling cold...

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  3. I tried to do Yassos on Thursday afternoon when I got home from teaching my last class. I only did 3X800, but it was so hard and I couldn't get my speed anywhere close to where I was at in the summer. I definitely have a ways to go to build my conditioning back to where it was and to improve from there.

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  4. Layers! Yes, tons of layers. I'm so scared of Michigan this month...

    Hey, 3x800 is better than 0x800, right? You'll get there; be patient with yourself :-) Believe me, I feel your pain--an 8-minute mile should not have felt as hard as it did last week!

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