Saturday, August 5, 2006

Interval Run

Distance: 1.2 kilometers (.75 miles)
Time: bah
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 70s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: The suckitude of my run today is emptying my apartment of oxygen. A pathetic effort in just about every respect.

I have decided to intergrate speed work into my training to a limited degree. The guru advised 20 minutes at race pace or slightly better for today. I decided to switch that for 'long repeats' which are slightly-faster-than-race-pace runs of shorter distances. 

The marathon book i am taking this from suggests starting at 3 x 1/2 mile to start and build up to 5 x 2 mile by the last month of training. I got 1.5 x 1/2 mile before giving in and, if my guestimated time is any indication, my speed wasn't any great shakes either.

Obviously this is a bit expected since speed has never been my forte but I added to the problem with 1) eating unwisely yesterday 2) staying up way too late and 3) doing this run on a somewhat hilly route. I also have a long run planned for tomorrow and I felt that if I pushed myself to finish this workout I would likely fry myself for that.

So I think I need to find a track and start with 400 meter sprints until I can get a feel for my form and pace at this pace. The problem is, I have no idea where to find one I can use here in lima. This effort might have to wait till I get back stateside.