ToT 13k Hard Workout Countdown - #11

We're less than six weeks away from the last race of the year (for me), and so preparations begin in earnest. With swimming off the books and cycling drastically reduced, I'm pretty much a runner now. And so, my schedule now has two "hard" run workouts every week (Tuesday and Thursday, except the last week with only one. Hence, the countdown starting at eleven). There will still be some work done on the bike, and Sundays will always include the long run, but these are the days that will leave me feeling like I got mugged. And will make me faster (I hope).

So we start with T-pace. I've been doing some T-pace workouts for a number of months, but after tonight, I don't think I was doing the right ones. Sure, a bunch of six minute reps on short rest is a good workout, but there isn't nearly as much digging to the bottom to survive the workout as there was this time. I've done 20 minutes straight, I've done 2x12 minutes, but tonight was 3x12, with 2 minute recoveries. Now that racing is over, I can say that this was just like a race in terms of sensation. Next year this will be a core workout. It's exactly what I should have been doing.

Here's where it gets interesting: that first interval is a cruise. You're clipping along, you feel strong, breathing is only a touch laboured. It's a nice rep. Then number two comes along, and everything is good until you get to the 6-8 minute mark, and you notice that you're still clipping along, and the breathing is pretty good, but you're working for sure now. That's when two minutes gets really short. The third rep ... well, the less said about that, the better. Again, you got to rest, so you get two or three minutes of strong running, and then you're in the same place you were at minute 11 last time. And the hole starts getting deeper. You need to fight to maintain form, because if that slips, everything gets exponentially harder. Shoulders down and back, proud chest, light feet, why isn't the clock moving faster? Keep digging, just a minute and half, deep breath, finish strong, sixty more seconds, quick steps, that seemed longer than fifteen seconds, focus, there's the finish line, twenty, relax, ten, almost home, don't slow down early, OK you're done.

Thank goodness for thrash metal or I'd never make it through one of these workouts.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 62 minutes, w/3x12 minutes @ 9.3 mph, 2 minutes @ 7.5 mph