Myers Park All-Comers Pre-Race? Sure, Why Not.

PM: 3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 2x1k @3:25, 2x600 @2:00, 4x300 @fast
Actual: 3:25, 3:22, 1:59, 2:00, 48, 49, 50, 49
1 mile c/d
Total: 7 miles

You may be asking yourself: "Why is she doing a workout? I thought she had sworn off intense training for the rest of June." Well, for the most part, that still holds true. However, I had to modify things a bit when my boss, RFYL owner Tim Rhodes, challenged me to a race; to be specific, he challenged me to beat him by a minimum of two minutes at the Myers Park HS All-Comers 5k next Tuesday. At stake? Loser does the winner's job (and earns the winner's salary) for a day. Simply put, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

That's not to say that it will be a cakewalk. Sure, Tim is just a few ticks shy of 50, but this spring he ran 38:30 for 10k and 3:05 on an "off" day in the marathon. I would estimate that his potential 5k time next week could range anywhere from 18:40 to 19:15, which means I'm going to have to hustle to beat the two-minute mark. Also throwing a wrench into the plans is the midterm I have for my summer class that same evening. The all-essay exam is scheduled to begin at 6:00, while the 5k is tentatively set for 8:00, which means I'll be lucky if I can squeeze in a few laps and a stride or two for my warmup. Needless to say, the confluence of these factors is why I decided I should probably cobble together some semblance of a workout tonight. You know, seeing as I haven't done so much as a stride since the Boston 5k two weeks ago.

The plan was for Jordan and I to drive out to Providence Day just past 6pm today. He had 5xmile on tap, and I would have him there to encourage me in case I completely imploded. My prescribed workout was neither fast nor long, but I'll admit I was a bit nervous since I've been slacking off so much the past few weeks. It didn't help that I'd developed a pounding headache and sore throat--the beginnings of a cold?--a few hours earlier, or that I was still rather full from a late lunch. As we finished the warmup, I was just hoping to get through the intervals in one piece.

Surprisingly, and 90+ degree temperatures notwithstanding, I felt great on the k's and 600s. I'm sure it helped that Jordan abandoned his own workout attempt after a few laps and offered to pace me instead. The pace and effort felt very smooth and controlled, which I wasn't expecting after several weeks out of the saddle. The 300's were a different story. I'm really slow, and getting below 50 is an epic struggle for me. After three I told Jordan I couldn't possibly do another one, but he wiped my arms and shoulders down with a cold washcloth and nicely (but firmly) told me I needed to finish. Somehow I managed, but I'm thankful no one but him was there to witness me flailing about on the final 100 meters.

Afterward, my stomach was wrecked. Blame it on the heat, or the shock to my system, or the aforementioned large lunch; whatever it was, I felt nauseous throughout the cooldown and insisted we cut it a few minutes short. I couldn't even muster up the desire to eat dinner later that night--which, if you know me, is about as dire as it gets. Despite my body being in shambles post-run, I'm pretty pleased with how this baby workout went. More importantly, I'm fired up to throw down with Tim on Tuesday night.