Don’t Tread On Me

0, 08mi, treadmill

Start Time: 1/16/08, 6:30pm
Location: Gunston Community Center
Distance: 8 miles
Average Pace: 8:45min/mile

It was too cold out to attack the Custis Trail again, so this time I decided to seek out a treadmill—eight miles on an 1/8th-mile indoor track meant 64 laps, and surely by the end I would be dizzy and throw up. I finally went over to Gunston, which no one seems to know exists, and used their solitary treadmill. No one else wanted to use it while I was there (in fact only two other people were even there while I was!), so hey, works for me.

Pete, Pete, and Repeat

0, 01mi, 02mi, explosive, meter repeats

Start Time: 1/12/08, 8:00am
Location: Washington-Lee High School
Distance: 1 mile & 4x100m & 200m/400m/800m/400m/200m

Saturday was another group session with Empowered & Fit. After a mile warm-up, we did four 100m runs progressively faster (forgot to time those, oops). Then we did a pyramid: 200 meters, then 400 meters, then 800 meters, then 400 meters, then 200 meters. And for each run, we were supposed to transition every quarter of the distance and get progressively faster. It was fun, if hard. It was great to have Emma there, acting as a rabbit in front of me and pushing me through the end each time. I like having someone a little faster than me there for an event like this, because it really pushes me hard. (0:45, 1:31, 3:33, 1:33, 0:37)

Start Time: 1/14/08, 6:30pm
Location: McLean High School
Distance: 2 miles & 12x200m

“Oh, don’t worry, Greg. McLean High School’s track is lit at night.”

Well, it isn’t. Argh. Still, ran my warm-up mile (9:34), then with a deep breath… started 12 200-meter repeats. Ugh. That’s four more than I’m used to, but I was able to ramp things up pretty well… ok, #11 not so much, but all in all, I was pleased. (50.15, 49.11, 43.43, 43.71, 43.15, 40.35, 40.99, 40.38, 39.45, 39.32, 41.42, 40.03) And then afterwards, amusingly, the cool-down mile? Kind of fast. (8:35) Funny how it’s all relative.

Back on Track — now with added hillwork!

0, 01mi, 08mi, custis, explosive, meter repeats

Start Time: 1/5/08, 8:00am
Location: Washington-Lee High School
Distance: 1 mile & 4x100m & 4x400m

Saturday’s session was the return to our group workouts, hurrah! For this run we started off with four 100meter runs, the idea that each one pushing a little harder and in a slightly tougher zone. (20.13, 18.06, 16.30, 15.02) Then, we were to replicate those four zones over the course of 400meter repeats, with each quarter of the track faster than the one before. It was fun but tough, ratcheting each segment up a little more. While my times decreased for the second and third, my transitions were getting stronger each time, and it made sense that I was a tiny bit more pooped with each one.

For the fourth, though, Fred said that our goal was to go faster than the first. And… much to my surprise… I did! Hurrah! (1:31, 1:34, 1:40, 1:28)

Start Time: 1/7/08, 6:30pm
Location: Custis Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average Pace: 9:19min/mile

Back in the day, I used to regularly run part of the Custis Trail as part of a group workout. (About a mile and a quarter of its distance, then back.) But it had been a while, and the weather was so fantastic on Monday that I decided I’d go tackle an 8-miler on the Custis Trail.

Ooooooof.

When I ran with the group on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my times on Thursdays would always be much faster than Tuesdays, and this was no exception with a 9:19 average, even as I felt I was putting in an 8:30/8:45 amount of effort. Phew. That’ll learn me! (9:10, 9:12, 9:04, 9:30, 9:07, 9:22, 9:20, 9:47)

Hello, 2008

0, 07mi, indoor track

Start Time: 1/2/08, 6:30pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 7 miles
Average Pace: 8:28min/mile

Well, the plan was to hit my cycling class tonight. Even getting there almost half an hour early, though? Toooo late, already full thanks to the New Year’s Resolutioners. But, that worked out well because I needed to run my 7-miler either tonight or tomorrow morning. So while the others pedaled, I ran. The indoor track wasn’t too crowded—mostly regulars that I recognized, like the guy who runs in the same polo shirt and sweatpants every time, or the guy with the t-shirt from Iran, or the super-tight-and-trim guy who wears a spandex shirt underneath his running shirt. Good times, good times. (8:44, 8:25, 8:24, 8:30, 8:25, 8:32, 8:19)

Last for ’07

0, 02mi, meter repeats

Start Time: 12/31/07, 1:45pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 2 miles & 8x200m

Today was one final run for the year—more 200-meter repeats, oh joy! I did a little better a job of pacing through them this time, I think. (46.01, 43.52, 42.05, 40.40, 38.79, 38.91, 37.79, 38.49) And I am always amused at how much faster the “cool-down” mile is versus my “warm-up” despite the fact that the two feel the same. (9:31 vs 8:26) All a matter of what they’re compared to, I guess!

This year’s grand tally looks to be 688.75 miles; better than last year (650.75), not as strong as 2006 (732), but considering I had an injury that sidelined me for a month, I’m not complaining at all!

The Massacre

0, 05mi

Start Time: 12/29/07, 3:30pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 5 miles
Average Pace: 8:30min/mile

My schedule had said to run 4 miles today, but I ended up tacking on an extra mile… so that way I could listen to all of the first two episodes of the 1966 Doctor Who story “The Massacre”. Not a bad run, although that second mile cost me a bit in the third and fourth! (8:37, 8:15, 8:41, 8:42, 8:12)

End-of-Year Catching Up

0, 01mi, 02mi, 06mi, 08mi, explosive, indoor track, meter repeats, speedwork

Oops! Whole bunch of updates here.

Start Time: 12/13/07, 6:30pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 6 miles
Average Pace: 8:49min/mile

Start Time: 12/15/07, 8:00am
Location: Washington-Lee High School
Distance: 1 mile & 4x200m & 3x400m

Start Time: 12/17/07, 6:30pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 2 miles & 8x200m

Start Time: 12/22/07, 3:45pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average Pace: 9:16min/mile

Start Time: 12/24/07, 9:30am
Location: Washington-Lee High School
Distance: 2 miles & 8x200m

Start Time: 12/25/07, 4:00pm
Location: Vienna, VA
Distance: 5.8 miles
Average Pace: 9:12min/mile

Continue reading End-of-Year Catching Up →

Encouragement

0, 02mi, explosive, meter repeats, speedwork

Start time: 12/10/07, 6:30pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 2 miles & 8x200m
Average pace: 43sec

I was originally going to run these Monday morning, but it got postponed to the evening due to some stomach issues the night before. Once again, lap #5 was the slowest, although I was able to at least pick it up a bit at the end. (45.42, 45.64, 43.07, 42.04, 44.17, 42.69, 42.58, 42.06) The one nice thing was when I was done with my last repeat and preparing for my cool-down mile, a woman I see often at my spinning class said to me, “Speed work?” Which for some reason was encouraging and perfectly timed, because I was feeling like I was running slow—it’s nice to know that at least someone else at the gym knew exactly what I was attempting to do.

2, 4, 6, 8 (hundred)

0, 01mi, 02mi, 05mi, explosive, meter repeats, new shoes, speedwork

Start time: 12/2/07, 8:30am
Location: Sidwell Friends School
Distance: 1 mile & 6x100m

Start time: 12/4/07, 6:30pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 2 miles & 6x200m
Average pace: 43sec

Start time: 12/6/07, 3:00pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:34min/mile

Start time: 12/8/07, 8:30am
Location: Washington-Lee High School
Distance: 1 mile & 200/400/600/800m

Oops… haven’t put the last couple of these in here. I’ve been starting a new speed training (“explosive running”) program for the winter, and I’m not entirely sure how to categorize a lot of these. But it’s been fun. Our first session we ran a warm-up mile, then did some running exercises involving “butt-kicks”, “high knees”, and “form runs”. Then we did six 100-meter runs, with the idea that each one got progressively faster. It was really enjoyable, but hard; I could feel it in my quads the next day!

Next up that Tuesday was six 200 meter fast runs, once again, trying to get each one a little faster. My fifth one slowed down a bit but I did recover in the end. I must say, though, having a 200 meter track to run it on is a little less than enjoyable. All those curves! (45.38, 44.57, 43.47, 42.00, 44.00, 42.06)

Thursday was a slower, enjoyable 5-mile run. It snowed out so it was back to the indoor track for me… but after all those speed drills, just having a breather was good.

On Saturday after some warm-ups and running exercises, we ran 200m, then 400m, then 600m, then 800m. The idea was to do them at a faster pace but to also maintain that pace through all four of them. Mine slipped a tiny bit for the third and fourth, but not too drastically so. (0:50, 1:41, 2:38, 3:33.) For the 800m we were supposed to try and speed up for the second half and I did accomplish that, so that was good. It’s been a very different running experience, but I’m actually looking forward to more torture drills ahead!