First Real Day Back

Tonight was my first real speed workout since injuring my hamstring.  I ran too fast at the beginning, but I don't care.  It felt great to run fast with confidence and not feel my hamstring tugging as my leg extended through the push off and into the kick.  I cut my workout a little short, because I was out of shape for what I tried to accomplish.

I started with a 2.5 mile warmup.  It was cold; mid 40's.  That's cold in Orlando, so I just did a little extra to keep warm.  We then stretched and did our 4 x 100 striders.  I then took off my warmup pants and one of my 3 shirts.

The actual workout was 2 sets of 5 x Go 600's.  That's the 400 @ 5k pace and go for it on the last 200.  I started the first set by running 1:29 and 1:30 through the first 400 and then finished up in 2:14, 2:12, and 2:14.  I was already spent, but it felt great.  I was running the 400's at mile pace, which for me is nowhere near my 5k pace.  I should have been running the 400 portions around 1:45.  For the 4th rep, I ran closer to my 5k pace and finished around 2:42 or 2:45.  I don't remember exactly, but I dogged it.  I was having a hard time breathing.  I was way into oxygen debt and actually slowed down through the second 300 half of the rep.  Coach told me to stay back on the 5th rep and rest.

I did my normal rest like everyone else.  He gave us 3 minutes between sets, so I did the 1st rep by myself with no timekeeping.  I definitely went back to running too fast again.  It felt great, though.  I ran the rest with the group after that.  On my last rep, it was everyone else's second to last, so I had more in the tank so to speak.  You always have a little when you know it's your last run.  When my pack came around the 400 mark, coach yells out to us and says something like who is going to make a move and push the group.  Since it was my last one, I went for it.  I bolted by everyone in my pack and got close to the lead pack.  Oddly enough, my time was 2:14 which is what I ran when I started.

That was it for me.  I was totally wiped out, but I got the 1.25 mile cooldown logged, too.