Good Long Interval Session

Long intervals on tap Saturday.  The session was 1200m-800m-800m-800m, but coach threw in a bit of a wrinkle.  Typically my rest period after a 1200m is 3.5-minutes, and after an 800m it's 2.5-minutes.  Well, for this workout we kept the standard rest after the 12, but between the 8's I'd be getting a slightly longer, 3-minute rest.  The catch?  We were going to pick up the pace a bit. 

Target was 77-seconds/400m on the 1200 (3:51) and 76-seconds/400m on the 8s (2:32) 

(normally its about 3:55 and 2:35)

I really like having a 1200m to start these sessions - being 3-laps, it forces me to keep my concentration and run fairly even 400m splits (as opposed to going out hard and then having to throttle back)  And once I'm locked into the pace, I can then run the 800s with more even lap times.  Staying disciplined on these guys is still a work in progress, but I'm getting better - and having the 1200m to start certainly helps.

I did do my 2 x 200m as part of the warm, but I didn't time them.  

Seventy five on the first lap of the 1200, (not too far off) and I then settled into the pace and hit two 77s finishing up in 3:49.  Nice to hit my first sub-3:50 1200m in a LI session, but more than that - I wasn't gassed at the finish.  I felt fine, and that was a nice confidence booster.

I did the first 800m in 2:31, and then came back w/ another 2:31 on #2.  The session was going very well, but I could tell that I was getting close to the edge.  (even w/ the extra 30-seconds of rest between the 8s, the drop from 2:35 to 2:31 was taking a toll - amazing how a few seconds can make that much difference)  

On the last 800 I hit the first lap on target in 75, but the wheels started coming off soon after that.  If I were to be 100% honest w/ myself, I could have sucked it up and shaved a couple seconds off lap #2, but I was already so pleased w/ the session that I gave myself a bit of a pass - 2:35.  

Overall I was happy w/ the workout, but going forward I'd like to be a little tougher at the end.

With Easter it wasn't really possible to get the typical long run in on  Sunday - I'm going to run on Monday instead (my normal off day) and then get back to my standard schedule starting Tuesday.

Training:

Sat, 4/11:  4-miles including 1200m, 3 x 800m:  (3:49, 2:31, 2:31, 2:35)

Sun, 4/12:  Off