Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Speed work

HA! It even sounds funny when I read it! But yes, I did speed work today. I know it's much colder in every other part of the country than it is here and I also know that I'm a huge whiner when it comes to cold. However, it was mighty cold this morning so I kept putting off getting out for a run. I finally made it to the Alameda Creek Trail at 11:00. Boomer was not going to let another day go by without getting out and stretching his little legs. Rain, he's not a fan of but I've learned that cold doesn't mean a thing to the boy.

So, back to the speed work (STILL sounds funny!) I warmed up for five minutes, running easy. I was still pretty cold so I decided to pick up the speed. I chose a tree and ran like hell until I reached it. Then I ran normal. Hmmmmm, that wasn't too terrible. I picked a shadow and ran as fast as I could until I reached it. Wow, I was starting to get kind of warm. I looked at my Garmin and started running easy for 40 seconds, then super fast (for me) for 20 seconds. After almost two miles, I switched to 30 seconds easy and then 30 seconds fast.

I couldn't get below a 6:02 pace but on the very last sprint, I decided I wanted to get below that. So, I ran as fast as I could and was able to reach a 5:25 pace. I almost died! Seriously, I did! But, after all was said and done, I realized it wasn't something I will never do again. It was hard. It was uncomfortable. I'm used to just cruising along at a nice easy pace when I run. I'm sure it will help me more than it hurt me.
Boomer was unsure of my behavior. Or maybe it was my heavy breathing again. He was probably waiting for me to fall down so he could check my vitals. He kept a close eye on me. Such a good boy. ;)

4 comments:

Missy said...

That's one happy guy. Love the pictures. Speedwork sux but it works!

TJ said...

Those are some speedy paces. Great run!

Marcy said...

Whooooaaa sub-6? That's FLYING!

Victoria said...

I like speedwork because you can see the difference paying off in your workouts AND in your races. And you're definitely sure you're getting a workout!