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Tues 6 x 400, Wed longer tempo (that was probably a bit too long)
Tuesday was pretty straightforward - warm up, 6 x 400, cool down, go home. Except I forgot my running shoes, so I had to scoot home, get them, and then back to the usual spot for the session.
Warm up was a little stiff to start but settled down quickly and I got through a bit over 3.8k in 4:28 pace, feeling a lot smoother over the last km or so.
Same rules as last time, the two openers to get settled, the middle two to start to push a bit, the last two to really have a crack. All done with an 80 second rest.
First two were a shade under 3:30 pace, a little under 3:19 pace for the third, a shocker for the fourth at just under 3:27 pace (dunno what happened there), and then rediscovered doing 400s on my forefoot, which gave rise to the last two being done at just under 3:09 and 3:06 pace (although the last one was pretty ragged, went out too hard in the first 10). Compares favourably with the same session two weeks ago, which is pleasing.
Got through a bit over 3.8k in 4:33 pace, although it did wind down towards the end after a firm start.
I decided to push a bit further with the Wednesday tempo session (this and the Monday tempo are probably the ones I focus most on during the week), and somehow decided on 17.6k or so (essentially four out and back laps of the UQ Oxley trail) at 4:14 pace (the slower edge of my marathon pace window), with a 2.3k lead in 'warm up' and a 2.3k wind down - I don't actually stop with the warm up and cool down for the tempos (unlike the structured rep sessions), just move up to target pace after taking the lap at the designated distance.
As my day at work wore on, the session looked increasingly ambitious, but I guess there's no improvement without stretch goals.
Got there straight from work and didn't feel particularly great through the 'warm up', but was at about 4:33 to the designated 'start point', and just worked a steady state run from there. Laps of the 4.45k or so out and back loop went 4:15, 4:14, 4:14 and 4:12, and then 4:38 for the 2.3k wind down. This gives 22.4k in 1:36:28, for 4:18 pace overall.
The last lap and a half felt like a bit of a battle, with concentration wavering from time to time, but I managed to knuckle down and run it out. I was pleased to give such constant pace and move it up a little in the last lap. The splits worked out to be around a 3 second improvement per lap (distance variation giving the 4:14 for the third lap despite the time improvement).
This felt like a bit of a watershed session - managing to hold good pace for an extended period, particularly after a few days of hard running. I'd like this session to get to around 1h 45 for a minimum of 23k or so, with Monday being 1h 15 at slightly faster pace, giving great marathon pace (or quicker) rehearsal midweek.
Pretty smashed at the end of it, and a little stiff and sore now just short of four hours later. It'll be a good stretch session and an early night.
Warm up was a little stiff to start but settled down quickly and I got through a bit over 3.8k in 4:28 pace, feeling a lot smoother over the last km or so.
Same rules as last time, the two openers to get settled, the middle two to start to push a bit, the last two to really have a crack. All done with an 80 second rest.
First two were a shade under 3:30 pace, a little under 3:19 pace for the third, a shocker for the fourth at just under 3:27 pace (dunno what happened there), and then rediscovered doing 400s on my forefoot, which gave rise to the last two being done at just under 3:09 and 3:06 pace (although the last one was pretty ragged, went out too hard in the first 10). Compares favourably with the same session two weeks ago, which is pleasing.
Got through a bit over 3.8k in 4:33 pace, although it did wind down towards the end after a firm start.
I decided to push a bit further with the Wednesday tempo session (this and the Monday tempo are probably the ones I focus most on during the week), and somehow decided on 17.6k or so (essentially four out and back laps of the UQ Oxley trail) at 4:14 pace (the slower edge of my marathon pace window), with a 2.3k lead in 'warm up' and a 2.3k wind down - I don't actually stop with the warm up and cool down for the tempos (unlike the structured rep sessions), just move up to target pace after taking the lap at the designated distance.
As my day at work wore on, the session looked increasingly ambitious, but I guess there's no improvement without stretch goals.
Got there straight from work and didn't feel particularly great through the 'warm up', but was at about 4:33 to the designated 'start point', and just worked a steady state run from there. Laps of the 4.45k or so out and back loop went 4:15, 4:14, 4:14 and 4:12, and then 4:38 for the 2.3k wind down. This gives 22.4k in 1:36:28, for 4:18 pace overall.
The last lap and a half felt like a bit of a battle, with concentration wavering from time to time, but I managed to knuckle down and run it out. I was pleased to give such constant pace and move it up a little in the last lap. The splits worked out to be around a 3 second improvement per lap (distance variation giving the 4:14 for the third lap despite the time improvement).
This felt like a bit of a watershed session - managing to hold good pace for an extended period, particularly after a few days of hard running. I'd like this session to get to around 1h 45 for a minimum of 23k or so, with Monday being 1h 15 at slightly faster pace, giving great marathon pace (or quicker) rehearsal midweek.
Pretty smashed at the end of it, and a little stiff and sore now just short of four hours later. It'll be a good stretch session and an early night.
