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Distance Ladder Workout

January 13, 2010 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: Cold and dark

Comments:
Wanted to do pickups on the Crescent trail but after doing 2 half-mile tempos I decided it was too icy so I got in the car and drove to AU. There is went right into a ladder workout: 1600m (5:28), 800m (2:28), 400m (about 70), 800m (2:29), 1600m (5:28). One lap cool down between each interval - enough to fully catch my breath. Feel challenging, espcially mentally, more so than any of my workouts this season. I remembered those workouts I did in high school - the desire to stop, ease up, call it a "medium day" - all the self doubt. Really, I just gotta live in the present and go however fast I'm supposed to go, without worrying about the next lap. That's why the workouts I did before were so much easier mentally - since I was doing the same distance over and over I got into a rhythm and figured out exactly how hard to run each 100m stretch of the track, so that I could focus on the here and now, knowing I'd have enough energy to get through. This workout didn't lend itself to that sort of mentality because the distances kept changing and I was constantly worried about what lay ahead.

Afterwards, ran down 44th St. alongside Glover to Resevoir and back up to AU via Wisconson and Mass. Put in a 10 minute tempo near the end. Felt strong physically, at least.