Speed work day! It was so wonderfully warm on this morning. Even before dawn, when I went out in the backyard to let the dogs pee, it honestly felt tropical. A tank top and shorts was the way to go for the run; I even would have been fine in a sports bra, and now that I think of it, I’m not sure why I didn’t do that.
This will be just be a quick post about this morning’s track work at my good old alma mater, Northport High. I drove there and back, something I don’t normally do as the track is only a 11 or 12 minute run from home. But I’ve decided that, at least for the remaining time I’m living here, I want to take advantage of my time and energy on speed work days and use them for the actual speed work itself.
This morning marked my triumphant return to the high school track and, yes, speed work. It is time for the speed work. I took some time off from the speed work, and now I am back. Welcome back, speed work. I’ve missed you.
For the first time in my life, I have an annual mileage goal. It’s 1500 miles. This is almost double what I did last year, so it’s ambitious – but not crazy, and not impossible. In order to stay on top of my progress, at the start of each month I would like to announce my previous month’s mileage.
To run 1500 miles in a year, I need to average 28.84 miles a week, or, if I divide it by months (which seems easier to me), 125 miles a month.
In January, I ran… [drum roll]…
Ah, speed work Wednesdays! The tough yet delicious meat in a long run sandwich.
I almost didn’t run this morning. I can’t tell if I have seasonal allergies or I’m coming down with something. I don’t feel SICK, just a bit OFF. I also haven’t slept much the last two nights, and my right hamstring is a little tight. So naturally I decided I was fine and headed out toward the high school track.
Wednesdays have typically been my speed work days. I like having a set routine where I do the same things on the same days every week. It’s easier to remember what I’m doing, I don’t have to think too much, and it makes it a lot easier to not skip a specific workout. Sometimes being boring is good!
For a while I was going to my old high school track and doing fast/slow 200s or 400s. Then I read something that suggested not doing speed work on a track, so last week I did it on roads. THEN I read something that said doing speed work on BOTH a track and on roads was okay, and because I am very susceptible to things I read, this morning I decided to head back to the track.
Do I HAVE to have a title on these posts? I hate coming up with them. Okay, it’s settled: no titles. Maybe just the date. The date will be the title. Glad I figured this out!
I started doing “speed work” a few months ago, and I usually do it Wednesdays. I put “speed work” in quotes because it’s not SUPER intensive, and also I still have this hang up that I’m slow and always will be (even though I’ve seen my pace increase this past summer). Continue reading “September 20, 2017”
My Body Is A Machine 