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4 x 1600m Workout

March 3, 2010 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: Dark, cool

Comments:
First time ever doing the infamous 4-by-mile workout.

Ran 2 miles from Running Company to AU in my new shoes. Spring drills and striders. Tested out my pace for 100m, did leg swings, then dove into workout.

First mile totally intimated me. I keep thinking this was way to hard, that I'd set my goals too high for this point in the season and that there was no way I'd be able to keep it up. Got my confidence back on the recovery however, and halfway around the track I decided that I'd only need 400m to recover and not 800m as I'd been considering.

Went into the next one feeling almost fresh and singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane," repeating verse to make it last all 400m that helped keep my mind from fearing what was to come, but it also allowed me to slip into a lull without my noticing, resulting in slower laps. Breathing really hard the final lap, but decided afterwards that I would indeed be able to get through the whole workout (and wanted to), and made it my goal not to go over 5:30. That fear of hitting 5:30 knocked some sense into me when halfway through the next mile (and incidentally, halfway through "American Pie") I realized that I was going to have to kick some butt and kept myself from slowing down any more. I pulled off a sweet negative split on that one, getting up on my toes for parts of the final lap. Really surprised and pleased to have improved my time.

I went into my final pickup feeling more confident than I had the whole workout, knowing that I had an extra gear I could tap if push came to shove, but determine to keep my early laps reasonable so that I wouldn't have to sprint all out. I negative split big time though, and came pretty darn close to running the entire final lap on my toes (73? or 75?). The last 200m were almost a race speed, but not quite.

All in all, it was living in the present that saved me. Had I kept worrying about the next mile, the next lap, or even the next 100m, I never would have made it. I just kept telling myself to focus running whatever part I was on with the appropriate effort, distracting myself with singing, but keeping my legs going at the same time. All in but was a little taken aback when I saw my time. Pushing yourself in workout all by yourself with no one around to cheer, pace, or encourage you is somewhat romantic in the Alan Sillitoe sense, but damn hard. I'm quite pleased myself, but mentally and effort-wise. Definitely proud.