Alexander Graham Quarters

20 min. w/u (2.5 miles) + strides
Target: 20x400 w60 sec. rest; hammer #14 and #19
Actual: 77, 77, 77, 77, 77, 76, 76, 76, 76, 76, 76, 75, 76, 72, 76, 76, 75, 76, 72, 76
12 min. c/d (1.5 miles)
Total: 9 miles

I wasn't very optimistic going into this workout for several reasons: It was early (7:30am), it was cold (~40 degrees), it was solo, and I still can't breathe out of my nose. So, given the odds stacked against me, I think the end result was pretty solid.

Because I had to work from open to close today, I needed to get this done in the most efficient manner possible. Thus, instead of driving to JCSU, I opted to jog the mile and a half from our apartment to Alexander Graham Middle School. AG isn't the best track--it's essentially asphalt covered by a thin layer of rubber, plus lane one is significantly short of 400 meters--but it's nearby and the school is amenable to having non-students on the facility, making it the clear best case scenario for today's efforts.

To help mentally manage the volume of the workout, I told myself to break it up into sets of five. Somehow running four sets seemed much less daunting than biting off the full 20 at once. Knowing the way I typically feel during speed-based workouts, I expected the first few intervals to feel pretty awkward and uncomfortable before I settled into the pace. Today was no exception, and it took the entire first "set" for me to find a rhythm. Once I did, things flowed pretty smoothly. The most awkward part about the whole thing was running in lane 2, as it took a surprising amount of mental energy to keep myself from veering back into the first lane out of habit. Jenna showed up around #8 to help time me and offer encouragement, and I have to say I was pretty happy to have her there. I'm sure it's no coincidence that I picked up the pace slightly once she arrived, as just having someone present to keep me accountable helped tremendously with motivation. My hammers weren't anything to write home about, but I'm pleased that I was able to get back on pace immediately after both of them.

Looking at this workout as a whole, it added up to basically 5 miles at what I would imagine is close to my all-out mile pace. (That is, until I break 5 minutes later this spring, but that's a super secret goal that I haven't revealed to many people.) I wasn't able to average as quick of a pace as when I worked out last month with all the girls, but today I ran four more intervals and had 60 seconds between each one instead of 90. Oh, and I spiked up last time too. Taking all that into consideration (and the litany of excuses I mentioned at start of this post), I'd say the efforts are pretty comparable. Good stuff.