Yasso 800 Domination

Planned:
8 Yasso 800s @ 2:55

Actual:
1 mile w/u
12 Yasso 800s all faster than target
1 mile c/d
Total: 8 miles

Domination might be a strong descriptor, but the infamous Yasso 800 workout was way too easy yesterday.  The idea behind Yasso 800s?  You take your goal marathon time in hours and minutes (mine: 2 hours 55 minutes) and convert that to minutes and seconds (mine: 2 minutes 55 seconds).  The workout is then to rotate intervals and rest jogs in this time.  Pioneered by Bart Yasso who has run marathons on all 7 continents, the Yasso 800 workout is supposed to determine your readiness to run your goal time in the marathon.  Run 10-12 of these intervals and you're ready for the marathon - or MIGHT be ready.  Problem is it's one of those workouts that if you can't do it, you're not ready, but if you can, it doesn't really mean much as most people are better prepared for shorter faster events than the longer marathons...

My pacing wasn't particularly impressive as I was typically 4-5 seconds fast on the first 200 and then just cruised the rest of the interval.  All my intervals were fast (2:52, 2:49, 2:50, 2:52, 2:51, 2:52, 2:53, 2:52, 2:51, 2:49, 2:51, 2:50) but none felt like I was pushing for time.  The biggest struggle was going out slow enough to be on pace - only my 10th interval did I go through the first 200 in 44 seconds, only to complete the back side too fast.  I started the workout targeting 8 intervals, got there and decided to keep going.  I probably could have kept going all day as my legs still felt as strong at the end as I did at the beginning, but I was running out of water and needed to get ready for work and so headed home after 12 figuring that was sufficient domination of the workout.

Though I'm pretty happy I was able to cruise through this workout so easily, I have to say it probably wasn't as hard of a workout as I needed to do.  The pace was too slow, the interval too short and the rest was too long.  It feels good killing a planned workout every once in a while, but the remaining 2 Yasso workouts on the schedule are getting changed out for something a bit longer and a bit more challenging.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 7 Review

6 Runs

47 Miles

16 Mile Long Run

7 weeks of formal marathon training in the books, 11 to go.  Though my running stats are not impressive by many standards, this week saw the highest millage of my recorded history (since HS) and my longest run ever.  Combine that with the fact that, besides a nagging toe pain, I’m mostly injury free, and 2 of the last 4 weeks have been abbreviated by traveling and a strained back (moving injury), I feel it’s time to start rehashing the weekly training for posterity’s sake.

Last week was shortened by missed runs because of a trip to Mexico, the side effects of said trip, and a wedding weekend in Illinois.  I did manage to get in my 2 key workouts – a 7 mile marathon paced effort Friday and a 12 mile LSD on Saturday (before 5 hours of golf…) but nothing more.  Runs at the beginning of this week were also slightly hampered by the lingering effects of Mexico, but I managed a solid – if not completed speed workout on Wednesday and seem to be fully recovered now.

Wednesday I was at the track at 6 to do a 400 speed workout.  The goal was 4x(4x400), but I was limited to 3 sets of 4x400 by time and my old racing flats destroying my heals.  Each 400 was however a fair bit faster than goal (75 seconds vs. a goal of 80) and still feeling relatively easy – so I feel pretty comfortable with the workout as a whole.

I survived most of Friday’s marathon pace effort, cruising through 5 averaging just under the 6:44 / mile target, before succumbing to the 87 degree humid temperatures and phoning in the final 2 miles at 8:20 pace to make sure I’d have something for Saturday’s long run.

Saturday’s 16 miler felt relatively good.  Veronica and I met up with Ali and Coston from the Running Company at 6:30 and I hung with them through the first 8 miles of the run at a very comfortable 9 min/mile pace (slightly slower than I should be going, I know.)  At the turn around I picked the pace up to a still comfortable 7:20-7:30 pace.  I was comfortable with the pace for the next 4 miles.  A short unintentional race with another runner, which ended abruptly when the other runner decided to walk after 2 miles, saw my pace hit 6:20 at times despite me trying to let him go and just run easy.  The pace, paired with temperatures approaching 87 (with a dew point around 77) forced my pace to slide to 8 min/mile with long stops at every water fountain to splash around and rehydrate.  I also practiced with the energy gels – a gu at 7 and another at 10.5.  Neither affected my stomach, but I’m not sure what the real effects were energy wise.  After the run my legs felt surprisingly good, though the body was definitely dehydrated.

I’m finding with this Miami summer training, that I really can’t adjust to the heat and humidity.  It’s making it very difficult to truly assess where I am in my training, and if my marathon goals are still realistic.  Last week’s marathon pace effort wasn’t as easy as it should have been at 70F (and my pacing wasn’t great either after averaging 6:36 / mile vs. the goal 6:44).  All I can do is push as far as I think I can safely and hope putting in these hot miles will pay off in October!

1600s let down

Planned:
5 x 1600 Starting at 6:00 and dropping 4 seconds per interval.  3 min rests.

Actual:
83F, HUMID, slight drizzle for the start of the workout, puddles on track.
1 mile w/u
4 x 1600 - 6:00, 5:56, 5:52, 5:52
800 - 2:44
.5 mile barefoot c/d


Sort of broke on this workout - finally had a track workout push my limits...  I really need to start bringing water and ice to these afternoon workouts because the heat and humidity killed me on this one.  Between each interval I jogged over to the water fountain to splash cold water on my face and neck, but I was quickly overheating during the intervals.

The goal of the workout was to really focus on split times.  I've been pretty bad about judging pace lately, so I needed to focus on hitting good, even splits instead of just making up time to hit the overall split.  Also, by getting progressively faster I would work on the negative split side of my racing.  The intervals would start at my Cruise Interval pace for my half mile time and work towards my paces from my 5k time since I've been finding that the half marathon pace workouts seem too easy.  Last time I did a 1600 workout I managed to run 4 at 5:53 or faster, so I figured this workout would be no problem.  Different day, different temperatures, whatever it was, this workout got the best of me - I just hope it's not a sign of possible over training already...

First 3 intervals went alright.  1st interval the splits were dead on, 2nd interval the splits were off and I made up 6 seconds in the final lap, 3rd interval the splits were dead on again.  For the 4th interval the first 800 was on, but the second 800 was slow.  I was hurting as I started the last interval, but went through the first lap right on pace despite feeling slow and decided I would keep going as long as I was hitting the splits.  I went through the 800 mark 2 seconds slow, thought I would keep going but 4 strides later decided I was done.

The mental indecision / weakness has me more worried than anything else in the workout.  It's easy to sit here and say it was stupid and I should have kept pushing, but in the moment I just let it go.  This is a problem with running alone, and something I'll really have to deal with before Marathon time, knowing that pushing through the wall will be the biggest challenge I face in Chicago.

Injured already

I kind of knew that at some point in this marathon training schedule I'd deal with some sort of injury.  I have a knack of pushing it too hard and hurting myself.  I just didn't think it would happen this early...  Ironically it wasn't even a running injury that has sidelined me this week, but a moving one.  I must have lifted one too many heavy boxes on Tuesday moving from my storage unit into the new house and my back went out.  The last 3 days have been a steady regimen of heat packs, icy hot and Advil.

I feel like an old man in the mornings, barely able to roll out of bed, but the back loosens up towards the afternoon to the point that I probably could run if I needed to.  However, I've made the decision to scrap this week and make sure this back doesn't turn into a larger problem.  Luckily  I'm early enough in the training schedule that this shouldn't set me back too much and I can let my back fully heal.

Hopefully I'll be back on schedule next week!