Speedwork time!

I'll admit it, I haven't been great at getting to the track to do my speedwork. I try to do a tempo run each week, usually on Mondays, but there are alot of Wednesdays where I come up with excuses to miss my speedwork. I can't quite explain how I feel about speedwork - sure it's fun to go fast and see what your limits are, but it is kind of uncomfortable at the same time. And it can get old running around in a quarter-mile circle. But last year I found that speedwork really helped with, well, my overall speed, even in endurance events. I posted a PR at the Army Ten Miler, despite my (harrowing) 110 mile bike ride the day before out Route 50 (dumbest idea ever to bike on Route 50) and my run times in triathlons were faster than I had ever expected.

So all day today I was dreading the speedwork. I overslept so I had to do it in the afternoon, which meant I got to think about it all day at work. 3x2 miles repeats in zone 4, with a 1x1600 repeat thrown in to top it off, also in zone 4. Seven miles total. Ugh. Earlier this month, my pace in zone 4 was rather sloth-like - in the low 7:00's. So I didn't have high expectations for today's workout. But I surprised myself. The average overall pace of my first two miles was 6:38, the average overall pace dropped in my second two-mile interval to 6:34 and held steady at that pace for my third two-mile interval. And then I brought my average overall pace down to 6:31 with my final one-mile repeat. And I rarely strayed higher than zone 4, I didn't feel like I was dying, and my legs don't feel like jello. Success!

While I still don't have super high expectation's for Sunday's Army Ten-Miler, I do feel a little more excited about it.

Time for bed because I HAVE TO go to swim in the morning. Thursday mornings are speedwork in the pool - even better than the track - ha!