Solo Mile Repeats

Goal:
2 miles @ 613-600 with 2:00 rest 3xmile @ 545-550 (1:00), 535-40 (2:00), 525-30 (3:00) 2 miles @ 613-600

Actual:
2.6 mile warmup in 19:35
2 miles in 608, 605 (2:01)
5:47 (1:00) 5:36 (2:00) 5:32 (3;00)
2 miles in 559, 603
Total fast part with rest = 7.9 miles in 49:27
 2 miles cooldown in 15:00
Garmin Link

I really struggled to get out of bed for this workout this morning.  I didn't have any company, even though I fought so hard to recruit buddies.  Somehow, I woke up at 5:10AM without my alarm and spent the next 50 minutes trying to convince myself that I could work out in the afternoon.  As I contemplated if I could feasibly get the workout done before our runner girls' night out, Cicero began to knock stuff off my dresser to get some attention.  So, I begrudgingly pulled myself out of bed and ran my way over the Dilworth Two Mile Speed Loop for some marathon and fast pace mile repeats.

This was definitely harder than the 2x5 miles last week, probably because of the lack of company. I saw Anne Marie and Joey so that motivated me because I knew I couldn't look like a wimp in front of them. The first MP miles were uneventful, easy and tedious. For the faster mile repeats, I wanted to get 10 seconds faster per mile after the first repeat. I  achieved my goal for the 2nd repeat, quite honestly, it felt hard.  I fretted about the third and final fast repeat, but decided to choose a different route so that I had other things to focus on.  I took at least 6 turns in the last interval because I wanted to mirror the Crit race on Saturday, that will have 36 turns in the whole race.   If I hadn't chosen a course full of turns, I probably would have run sub 5:30, but I just didn't have that speed in me today. After the 3rd fast mile, I felt like I had just raced a 5k and stopped for 40 seconds and walked. Phew, that was a tough one, and I couldn't help but wonder how the hell I would be able to run sub-5:30 at the 8k race on Saturday.

The best part of the workout though was running the final two miles at marathon pace and feeling like it was a walk in the park.   After a 5:32 mile, running 600 flat felt like a piece of cake. That's not to say that I wasn't thrilled when I was finally done with the entire workout. I was very thrilled to be done, got water at Rebecca's porch and ran home.

What I learned in this workout is that it is MUCH easier to run with other people and that, for my own mental sanity, I really need to find a good group at Cal to run with so that they help me stay motivated and excited throughout the whole race.