Speedwork, Gettin' Tough

6x800 meters this AM. I ran them faster than when I last did 800's and kept to my 2:50 rest intervals in order to make the most of the workout. I started off fast as always simply because I don't want to start off slow. My problem is that I never adjust. Oh well. I'm pretty good at listening to my body and would bring it down a notch if needed. My goal has been to work up to 8x800, leaving every 5:40, consistently running 2:50's (or better). So far so good.

1 - 2:46, 2 - 2:44, 3 - 2:43, 4 - 2:45, 5 - 2:43, 6 - 2:46

I hope these workouts pay off because half the people at the gym think I'm nuts. Seriously. I can see it in their faces when they look at me.

Run Fast. Repeat.

That's pretty much the idea behind 800-meter repeats. Following Bart Yasso's formula, I'm planning to run all of my 800's from now until 5/20 in 2:50 or better. Does this mean I'll run a 2:50:00 marathon? Probably not, but knowing that I can do the workouts a 2:50:00 marathoner could do will help with my confidence, which can be a huge factor on race day.

For 5AM, I was feeling great. I ate a banana on my drive over and drank a few ounces of water prior to my mile warmup. I didn't save my 800 splits but my first was 2:47 and my last was 2:45. The three in between were in the same ballpark. I was shooting for 34-second laps and was hitting 33's mostly. I saw a few 34's but no 35's. I began to tire a little near the end but could have done more. Strength trained for 30-minutes afterwards.