I stopped speed work a few weeks ago when I started feeling tightness in my hamstring.   After some slower weeks, and more stretching, I figured I would give it a shot.  The plan called for 6-8 400 repeats with a 200 m recovery jog in between.  Followed by 3 200m strides with a 200 recovery in between, all sandwiched between a 15 minute warmup and 15 minute cool down.  That sounded like too much of a push so I adapted it some- you know Slacker Style.   🙂My warm up turned into just over 16 minutes as I ran through a horde of gnats.  I then ran while flailing my arms around my face trying to disperse them.  Yuck!!    Oh well, the people in the playground area probably had a good laugh.    Since I was running the intervals at the lake path I figured I would run the intervals on the back side of the lake and take a longer recovery on the front side when running through the parking lot and playground area.  I completed 4 400m intervals and 3 200m strides.  Except the lake path isn’t the track and I don’t know how to program that into my Garmin so it was actually 4 1/4 mile repeats and 3 .12 mile strides.   That is what my brain was capable of computing.  🙂

So for my 1/4 mile intervals I hit 2:04, 2:08, 2:16, 1:59– 8:00-8:24 pace.

My strides (.11-.13 miles) came in at :49, :59, :59—7:32-7:58 pace.

I also didn’t check what pace I should have been doing so there was less pressure on me.   Which was a good thing because for a 1:59:00 half I should have been hitting 1:30 for each 400, ouch.   And when I plug in my last half, I should have been hitting 1:46.  Double ouch.   Whatever, the paces I hit were still faster paces than I have been hitting lately.  Bonus was that my hamstring never complained while running or later that evening.    I wasn’t all out sprinting ever, I made sure to keep my breathing fairly steady and I didn’t want to aggravate my left leg.  So I am happy with how my return to speed work went.  I was super excited that I finally hit 5 miles at 49:30, I was under 50 minutes for the first time in months, but I hit lap instead of stop on my Garmin.  Boo!!!

Thursday was supposed to be an easy run.  I was looking forward to both the easy pace and that I had a half day so I was able to head to the river path to get in a run.    It was a little warm but there was a pretty good breeze.   I really do like that path, it has black top, concrete and dirt.  It’s a good mix.  There are more than a few intersections (housing tracks) to cross but most of the cars always let me cross first.  Even when I would like the break.  🙂     I had a problem with the easy part though.   Stupid, stupid, stupid.  I should have been aiming for a 10:45 average this close to a race.   What do I do?  Run an 8:26 mile.  Seriously!?  Yes, I know I should have slowed down but once I was part way through, I wanted to finish it.   Stupid.   What was I thinking?

So, yeah, I was a little sore today.   I made sure to stretch and ice a bit.  I wore compression socks inside my boots as well- pinstripe dress and argyle compressions socks.  I’m so stylish.    Then again who dressed me for Thursday’s run-

Stupidity aside, I am looking forward to the race.  I am not treating it like a race but a long run.    Just with a couple hundred friends and aid stations along the way.   I love this race and I say this knowing the hill at the end will kick my ass, just like it has before.     I like to call it the death hill, partly because of its’ incline and partly because it’s at mile 12.       It’s time to add a new wine glass to my collection, too bad I don’t drink.    🙂   I just wish I didn’t have such a busy day tomorrow.   With work and errands and packet pick up, I already feel short on time.  Crap- I need to go to sleep!

For reasons why I am so nostalgic about Wine Country, read here and here.

Who else is racing this weekend? If you’re in CA, it’s gonna be a hot one!

Ever done the exact wrong thing on your last workout before a race?

Did you ever notice that average pace on the splits screen is different than that on the main screen?  The main screen has Thursday’s average pace at 10:18 but above says 10:47.