Team MJ's Non-Workout Workout

10 min. w/u (1+ miles)
Target: 3x2 miles @6:40 pace, no faster w/4:00 rest
Actual: (6:44, 6:20); (6:32, 6:42); (6:33, 6:50)
10 min. c/d (1+ miles)
Total: 10 miles

When Jilane and I spoke with Jeff about this workout, he was very adamant about it being easy (and not wanting it to really feel like a workout). In fact, he originally wanted us to run 6:30 pace but then amended this to 6:40, with specific instructions to "not get all excited because you two are together and start hammering 6 flat pace." As you can imagine at this stage in the training cycle, Jilane and I were happy to oblige.

We ended up sleeping in embarrassingly late this morning--embarrassing not necessarily because of the hour, but because we did nothing even remotely cool last night to necessitate extra sleep. That said, by the time we headed out to the C & O Canal (that's the "towpath" to the locals) around 10am, temperatures were still hovering in the mid-40s. Both of us wore capris, a move we regretted once we were in the sun for a few minutes, and it was a good reminder to dress down next weekend if the weather is similar.


A portion of the dirt/rock trail along the C&O Canal

From the outset of the first interval, Jilane and I were consciously trying not to press too hard. In fact, throughout the entire workout we kept up a steady conversation, which is an encouraging indicator of our fitness. The second mile of the first interval was a bit quick, but otherwise we reined things in and kept the rest of the run fluid and controlled. I never really felt like I was pressing at any point, and parts of the "workout" felt like a similar pace to yesterday's continuous run. We cooled down slowly through the trails to the car, happy to be done with our final medium-hard effort and eager to enjoy the beautiful Sunday afternoon.