Jordan's 2k Cutdown

2 mile w/u
Target: 2xmile @6:00-6:10; 2x400m
Actual: 5:49, 5:53, 70.7, 69.0 (!!!), 33.4 (for 200m)
2x100m barefoot strides
20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)
8-8.5 miles

Jordan had a bear of a workout on tap today, a cutdown in 400m increments from 2k all the way to 200m, so the Three Musketeers rolled up to the Norman High track around 7am in hopes of beating the heat and getting 'er done. I'd tentatively planned a pre-race workout, in case I end up going for gold in the half on Sunday, and Scotty hoped to jump in and out of Jordan's workout to provide as much help as possible. I also wanted to jump in on a few of his slower-paced intervals; Jordan helps me so frequently in workouts that I would feel bad not taking advantage of the rare occasion when I can return the favor.

Despite the fact that I wasn't supposed to dip below 6:00 on my miles, I hit the first quarter in 84 and just kept rolling. The pace felt like a jog even in the heat and humidity, so rather than fight myself the entire way I decided to just relax and roll with it. Jogging a lap in between each interval kept the workout running smoothly, and soon it was time for me to jump in with Scotty and Jordan.

I'd planned to run the last 400 of his 1200 in ~72 seconds, but somehow I miscalculated the laps. So, when they strode down the homestretch to finish their second lap, I somehow thought it was only their first; as a result, I was at least 15 meters behind the starting line before it dawned on me that my lap was coming up. Without thinking, I immediately broke into a sprint in hopes of catching them, and as a result I was approaching top speed by the time I actually "started" the lap. Did the running start help me run the interval faster? Or did the act of sprinting 420 meters instead of 400 wear me out more? It's hard to say, but at any rate my legs and lungs were burning by the final 100 meters. My second 400 went much more smoothly, as I started at the appropriate location at the appropriate time, and I finally achieved my season-long goal of breaking 70 seconds in a workout. Trust me, my knowledge of how pathetic this is does in no way diminish my joy. Sad, right? I also blazed a 200 at the end of Jordan's 600m effort and felt strong the entire way. He was beginning to labor at this point but stuck with it to finish strong. Scotty also ran well throughout, making it a solid outing for all of us.

Though my legs (and lungs) were burning after my unusually speedy session, overall I felt great. The best part was kicking off the shoes to run some barefoot strides and a barefoot cooldown mile before taking it back to Main Street. I will probably be sore tomorrow, but today's workout was definitely--dare I say it--a lot of fun.