Ladder Workout

2 mile w/u
Target: 400 (82), 800 (2:50), 1200* (4:15), 1600 (6:00), 1600 (6:00), 1200 (4:15), 800 (2:50), 400 (82)
all w/60 sec. rest
*found out post-workout that the 1200 split was a typo and should've been a few seconds slower than 4:15
Actual: 78, 2:51, 4:17, 5:55, 5:54, 4:18, 2:49, 79
10 min. c/d (1+ miles)
Total: ~8.5 miles

I'm extremely pleased with how this workout went today. The splits didn't look too daunting on paper, but the rather perfunctory rest intervals didn't seem like they would provide ample recovery. In fact, as we were jogging over to Norman High this morning, I told Jordan that I might have to take a longer rest on the way back down the ladder if it looked like I was going to fall too far off the pace. Fortunately that didn't end up happening, which is what I'm most happy about.

As always, it was great to have Jordan and Scotty along for the ride. Jordan had the same workout on tap and Scotty agreed to jump in and out of his intervals, which meant that while neither of them were running with me they were still cutting shapes at the same time. If I can't have someone literally matching me stride for stride, this is the next best thing.

I wish I would've known going into the workout that 4:15 wasn't right, because I felt a bit discouraged about missing both those splits. However, the two 1600s felt absolutely great, completely relaxed and fluid. I might not have been jogging but I certainly wasn't struggling, and I felt like those two intervals served as more recovery between the shorter, faster ones. Good to know I'm able to dip below 6-minute pace again without laboring. All in all I felt like this was a huge step in the right direction.