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Kipchoge Classic

January 22, 2020 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
Showed up at a track workout at Battersea Park where my friend Rose is in a Running Club. I'm still not quite sure what the club is called. They were doing a workout that the organizer claimed was as "Kipchoge Classic:" 15 x 1000m with the first 5 just slower than marathon pace, the next 5 at your marathon goal pace, and the last 5 faster. I arrived when they were already on their 5th pickup (it's pretty far from me), but hopped right in and completed the remaining 800m or so. Then did 10 more.

The workout felt great! I was skeptical at first because it was so ridiculously long (I did 6 1/2 miles and the others did 9.3) and the 1000m is a weird distance. But I got used to it after doing 3 or 4 of them, even though we kept alternating which side of the track we started on. I stayed pretty conservative for the first 5 tucked in behind Rose, who is one of the fastest if not the fastest woman in the club (and about my pace for marathoning, last I checked). But then I picked it and started leading the group for the first part of the pickup at first and then eventually all of it. The guys were joking about taking our shirts off for the last one since that last time they'd done this workout was the middle of summer when they stripped down more and more as the run progressed. Though it was around 40 Fahrenheit, I thought that sounded like a splendid idea, so I threw mine off before the last lap and then the rest of the group including Rose was inspired to follow suit. We got a lot of tongue-in-cheek cheering from the other groups as we went by, but sure enough, when they got their last lap they too followed my example. So I've now corrupted an entire British team! Don't tell our former athletic director...

The cooldowns consisted of standing still, which was fine by me. I found I was pretty good at bringing down my heart-rate before the next one, and there was no stress about falling behind everyone while jogging and having to catch up. I didn't bother looking at my watch the entire time - just wanted to go by feel and use the group to push me. It worked like a charm.