3x2K, 2x1K, 4x500m

I was still feeling a little sore this morning and not sure how I'd do on this workout, but really, that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you get out and DO them. So I went.

It was a bit cooler today at 69F (21C) and much less humid. I would say the heat was not too much of a factor today, unlike Sunday's 32K. There was a slight breeze, which helped. I still drank quite a bit of water by the time I was done.

I got to the track at 5:35am, since I knew this workout would take 90 min and I had to get home in time to get ready for work and get the kids to school at 8. It was close...I should have gotten there 5-10 min earlier. Needless to say, it was pitch black outside but there were actually a few people there - the East High principal (who often walks there early), a nordic walker (yup, with poles), and a runner. 20 minutes later, the high school cross-country team showed up, but they weren't using the track - they ran down 15th East to Sugar House Park, did a loop around the park, and ran back (I heard the coach giving them directions). Later on, a triathlete and her coach showed up as well, but the track was still not too crowded.

I warmed up for 1600m in 10:14, enjoying the stars. I looked at the constellation Orion for a while because it was lowish on the horizon and easily visible every time I came around the curve at the south end of the track.

After some dynamic stretches, I was ready to go. I was consistent today but not fast. I think I was expecting to pull off some 11:00 times for the 2Ks, since I did that in Sacramento on my last track workout before the WMA 5K. However, 1) I have done very few interval workouts since then (if any?), and 2) that was at sea level, and this is not, and 3) I've been doing more long stuff so can't expect these to be great I guess. I felt pretty good though - I felt I was working hard but not too hard, and I had endurance today. My sore muscles felt much better when the workout was done, in fact.

Here are my splits:

2Ks:
5:41, 5:45 (11:26)
5:42, 5:49 (11:31)
5:43, 5:45 (11:28)

1Ks:
5:39
5:42

500s:
2:47
2:48
2:48
2:45

Garmin connect data here.

A few mood items, on a whim. I was really quite tired this morning when I went to the track; I need to get more sleep but it's been tough to get to bed early enough. So I was not in the best mood, and after my intervals were slower than I'd have liked (i.e. after the first 2K), I started to compare myself to faster walkers. Not good. I wished my intervals would improve more rapidly. DUH! I quickly tried to shift my perspective. I'm faster than I've ever been (not at this workout, but in general), I'm in good shape for the marathon, and I'm (for once) uninjured and able to train hard. Things are good! I have to keep reminding myself of this, because otherwise I can get in a ridiculous thought spiral. It started again when the triathlete showed up. She is a very fast and very petite woman who is clearly in tremendous shape. As she did her 400s, passing me over and over, I felt very big and slow next to her. I tried not to think about it, and shift my focus. It did work, mostly.

Now that it's been a few hours, I feel OK about this workout, and I'm glad it's done. I have 20K tomorrow and I need to rest a bit better tonight if possible!