Greenville Fartlek in Lyndale

Goal:
6x1 mile

Actual:
2.3 miles warmup for 18 min total

10-8-6-5-4-3 with half rest - paces below
10:  1.65 miles for 605 pace
8:    1,4 miles for 546 pace
6:    1.05 miles for 543 pace
5:    .88 miles for 543 pace
4:    .7 miles for 548 pace
3:    .52 miles for 548 pace

1.8 miles total for cool down

I ended up running this workout in a fancy neighborhood in Greenville, NC after hanging out with Garrett's extended family all day.  It was great to spend so much quality time with Garrett's cousins since I really do feel like I'm on the cousins.  We learned more about Barbara's boyfriend, Emily's pregnancy, Thomas' summer abroad plans, and Elyse's job search.  The aunts started talking about giving birth and the boys all left the room immediately.  It's a great way to get rid of the guys at a family gathering, that's for sure.

After lots of sitting around socializing, I finally decided that it was time to get this workout going, which also meant that I would be running in the dark.  I consulted with Garrett and he advised for me to run in a fancy neighborhood called Lyndale that featured miles upon miles of lighted streets without any traffic lights.

I decided to do a workout focused on time instead of distance so that I would not focus on the speed (or lack thereof ).  I just set Mr. Garmin to beep at me for the intervals and for the jog rest to make sure that I was focusing solely on effort.  I didn't look at the garmin for the entire workout, so I definitely accomplished the goal, which was to not die.  I also made sure that my altered workout would be the same distance as my original workout plans - so over 6 miles.  This would ensure that I got in the same amount of work that I was originally supposed to achieve.

Coming through the 10-8-6-5, I felt absolutely fantastic.  I could tell that I was getting faster on each interval and my legs felt really strong.  My breathing was under control and I felt really confident that my 4-3 were going to go great.  I sure was wrong about that.  By the time I did the 5-4-3, it felt like the wheels were coming off the bus. My hamstrings were screaming and I struggled to get that leg lift that had been so easy to achieve on the longer segments.  Really, I was just hanging on.  My breathing was labored, but I pushed through it. You can tell where I struggled by looking at my pace times.  In fact, I ran faster on the 5-6 than I did on the 4-3.

Despite the shortcomings in the last 7 minutes, I can't help but be pleased with this workout because I ran faster than 6:00 pace for the majority of this workout.  Goals have been adjusted obviously, but this is where I'm at right now, so I am happy with the effort put forth!