Start of the New Training Cycle...SUCCESS!

Goal:
10x1 min with 1:15 rest

Actual:
6.31 miles warmup
8x1 min with 1:15 rest (had to adjust because I had to be home in time to make a massage) at 5:00-5:30 pace
1.88 miles cooldown

Hoorah! Hoorah! While 8x1 min is a minuscule workout in comparison to those workouts I will be doing in the near future (ex: 4x9 min with 2 min rest), this was a great way to start off my training cycle for the USA 25k Championships. I recruited Matt, Will, and Eric to join me for this light workout and, after staging meeting areas at three different locations, the four of us managed to find each other to begin our workout together at JCSU.

We began the minuters above the track on the road and made our way into the cemetery and up the road toward the NC Music Factory. The four of us worked together really well on the first four repeats, as we clustered together to shelter ourselves a bit from the nasty headwind. I felt fresh and relaxed as we cruised from 5:18-5:28 pace for the first four. Matt must have felt the best of all of us because he bested all of us on one of the intervals that ended with an uphill.

Once we entered the last 4 intervals, I began to feel even better. My breathing was controlled, my rhythm was in sync, and my stride was getting longer. Even with a slight incline, we managed to run 5:00-5:13 pace for these final four. Either my garmin was wrong, or we really were running at what I consider a blistering pace. It's a blistering pace considering I ran 32.6 miles last week! I don't know if I've ever run that speedy on a minuter workout, so I'll take it! It was really helpful to have the guys there to push me through, especially considering the wind and the hills that we conquered. While my regular training buddy Jordan is off frolicking in California, Matt is coming around the corner and getting back into shape rather quickly, which is good for both us.

It was exciting to start off my new training cycle with such a positive experience in my first workout. The next big goal in sight is to run 6:00-6:05 pace at the USA 25k Champs. Considering that I ran a marathon in 6:10 pace and a 15 mile simulation run at 6:11 pace, I think that this goal is realistic and will be an indicator of whether my fitness level has increased over the past six months and will allow me to assess my goal for the Olympic Trials.