Speed work

7 Miles total

1 mile warm up: 6:37

1 mile run: 5:49

4 X 400: 1:22, 1:25, 1:23, 1:23

2X 800: 3:12, 3:07

1 mile cool down: 7:35

2 miles, after I realized I was only 2 miles away from a 60 mile week: 8:15 pace

Total Weekly Mileage: 60.48

The combination of the cold and the fact that I wanted to get in a speed workout today kept me inside. I had a great workout on the indoor track. My legs felt fresh despite running at least 10 miles a day the last 4 days. I can feel my recovery skills starting to come around. I ran 1 warm up mile, than wanted to cut it loose and see what I was capable of for a mile. It was the first time I ran a mile all out since my senior year of high school when our Baseball coach told us we had to run under a 6 min. mile to make the team (what does running a 6 min. mile have to do with playing baseball anyway? I would like to see David Wells run a 6 min. mile.) Back in those days I was in shape from wrestling season and was able to pump out a 5:49 (The coach was impressed, but that didn't stop him from seating me on the bench all year.) I love baseball but it never really loved me back. I think I should have gotten the point when we were running laps around the field my sophomore year. I was lapping everyone and my coach told me I should join the track team (I am pretty certain he realized that track and baseball were both spring sports....) But I digress. Where was I? O yes, running the mile today. Well I was pleased that I was able to match that PR today. I would have loved to beat it, but am confident that if I had not run 13 miles the day before I could have beaten that record. It doesn't bother me as I have no desire to be a miler. I am still very new to speed work. Since I started training for my first marathon with a 2 mile run on a mid October evening in 2005 I may have completed one or two speed work sessions. I didn't really see the point in focusing on this type of workout when I wanted to run ultras, not 5K’s. When I was out In CA earlier this year for the Calico 50K I ran the last 5 miles with an ultra old-timer. He told me the secret to improving your cruising speed was to incorporate a solid speed work routine into your training. He explained something about muscle memory. This advice coming from a man who has completed 12, 100 milers and to many 50 milers and 50K's to count. I am willing to sink or swim with this advice. So from now on I will try to do 2 speed work days a week. When I got done with my original planned 5 miles I was doing some crunches and calculating my weekly mileage. I realized that I had run 58 miles this week and because I was only 50 feet from a track, why not go for 2 more to make it an even 60? So I hoped back on the loop and hammered out two more miles and left with my head held high, good show.