Last week I had no problem with my Speed workout which was 6 x 400m with 400 jog/walk in between. The same cannot be said for last night's Speed workout!
This week I was scheduled to do 3 x 1600m at 6.49 with 1 minute jog/walk in between each 1600m interval. I remember thinking to myself when I saw this workout that it would be one of the tougher ones because of the very short 1 minute rest interval, but as the speed is about the same as my 5K speed and the distance is slightly less than a 5K, I didn't think it was unachievable.
What I didn't account for was the heat! it was 86 degrees at 7pm, and even although the humidity was low, it still had quite the effect on me. I was able to do a 1600m warm up jog followed by 1600m @ 6.47, a 1 minute rest and 1600m @ 6.56. However, after my 1 minute rest, I had no energy left to be able to do another 1600m interval and even after 3 minutes I knew I wouldn't be able to get around the track four more times at anything more than a jog and decided to call it a night.
I have 5 more of these workouts scheduled before my Marathon, so it isn't a big deal that I didn't manage to complete it the first time around and I am happy that I at least completed 2/3rd's of it at the first attempt!
It won't be long before 86 degrees is the normal temperature throughout the day here in NC and although I can do my other workouts early in the morning, my track workouts will have to be in the evening whilst the school track is in use during the daytime hours. It took me quite a while to get used to running in the heat last year, but at least I have plenty of time on my side.
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i'm confused why one of your workouts for a marathon would be 3x1600's at 5k race pace. what pace do you want to keep for the marathon? It seems tailored more for a fast 5k or shorter distance race. But regardless, it definitely will help your mental toughness. Track workouts are rough. Good job trying to stick w/it despite the heat. Maybe we could do some track workouts together when I move there!
ReplyDeleteThe program I am following has only three workouts each week (including the long run). It seems they have found that a combination of a speed workout, a tempo workout and a long run work just as well as running 5 or 6 days a week, and as I don't want to run 5 or 6 days a week, I am giving this a try. The track workouts vary each week to keep my body guessing. The results for the program are very good, so we'll see whether it works for me!
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