3x2 Mile at McAlpine

Goal:
3x2 mile at 11:50 or faster with 400m rest

Actual:
~3 miles warmup
2x2 mile at 11:42 (550, 552) and 11:29 (5:39, 5:50) with 3 min rest,
1.5 mile in 8:50 (5:50, 3:00) with 2 min rest
800m in 2:41
~3 miles cool down for 12 miles total

Not much to report on this workout except that I was lucky enough to have Aaron help me out, who just ran a PR at Grandma's Marathon 6 days ago.  It was really hot and muggy this morning and, after the first interval, Billy and I both agreed that it was rather difficult to breathe in the conditions.

We ran from the mile 1 mark to mile 3 mark on the McAlpine Greenway portion for the first interval.  For the second, we turned around at the 3 mile mark and ran back to the 1 mile mark. I started like a bat out of hell with a 2:44 first 800m and tried my best to keep the pace honest over the course of the next 1.5 miles until Aaron jumped in.  He motivated me to keep on going and I was able to muster a 5:50 second mile for that. It was so hot that I didn't even bother doing a jog rest.  I just walked around and jogged when I felt like it.

For the third interval, I was hanging on for dear life.  I went through the mile in 5:50, turned around at the start at Old Bell, and passed through the 800m mark in 3:00.  I decided it would be easier for me mentally to walk away from this workout by stopping at the 1.5 mile mark, resting, and then running a fast 800m.

That's exactly what I did.

Aaron and I took it out in 80 seconds for the first 400m and as we rounded through the soft section near Old Bell, I tried my hardest to maintain the same pace as Aaron took off ahead of me.  I ran an 81 for that second half and finished feeling pretty good about the workout.  I'd like to be able to complete the whole workout without modifications next time, but this was a good alternative for my level of comfort today with the humidity.

I enjoyed a nice cool down jog with Jason Martin, Aaron, and Billy before jumping into the car and getting home in time for a meeting at work.