Way Too Early Morning Workout

AM: 2+ mile w/u
13x1 min on; 1:15 off
2+ mile c/d
Total: 8-8.5 miles

Wow, was this early. I woke up at 5:00 on the dot and struggled to pull myself together before leaving for McAlpine just before 5:30. I would be meeting Thomas Eggar and Stephen Spada at the Old Bell entrance and running with them to meet Caitlin and Justin Breland, who had parked at the main entrance. The sky was still dark as we parked our cars and silently started off down the trail. My legs didn't feel too banged up from the 5k I'd raced a mere 36 hours prior, but I also had doubts about how fast I could actually run at an hour when I'm rarely awake.

Fortunately for me, the workout started at a very manageable clip. The first few minute intervals served as a gradual prelude of what was to come, as we began increasingly the pace and intensity incrementally with each one. This type of workout goes by very quickly and with little thinking; Caitlin plugged in the pre-determined time intervals into her Garmin and we just waited for the series of beeps to signal the beginning and end of each segment. Casual conversation in the rest periods also helped pass the time, although by the time we approached five to go I was struggling to breathe and decided to keep my witty banter to myself. I'm sure everyone else was disappointed.

The final few hard segments were a struggle, but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised with how this went. Honestly it was about as good as could be expected for 6am in trainers less than two days after a track race, so I'll take it. Plus, the knowledge that I would soon be home and back in my bed (I had the day off, thank goodness) served as motivation. But the best part was simply having everyone there working together and encouraging each other. While at Queens I rarely worked out with a group this size, but the one time I did it was one of the most positive workout experiences ever. Hopefully I'll have more chances to put in some miles with the CRC crew in the near future.

Oh and p.s., upon arriving home and checking her Garmin Caitlin realized that we only did 13x1 min. instead of the 14x1 min. that her schedule dictated. During the workout we were all convinced we'd made it to 14. I guess counting isn't anyone's strong suit at the crack of dawn.