Fartlek

I got a free issue of Runner's World last week...it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm pretty sure it was from my participation in the Chicago marathon and I have to say their marketing tactics work; I'll probably get a subscription now (if I can get someone to hook me up...cough cough). There was an article on training which is where I got the fartlek thing from. They describe it as 3 or 4 3-minute surges at a 10k to 10 mile effort, with 3 minutes easy running between fast segments. I don't run a 10k at an 8.2mph pace yet, but I wanted to push myself hard today.

Here's the breakdown:

0-2minutes: 7.3mph
2-5minutes: 8.2mph
5-8minutes: 7.3mph
8-11minutes: 8.2mph
11-14minutes: 7.3mph
14-17minutes: 8.2mph
17-20minutes: 7.3mph
20-23:08: 8.3mph

Total Distance (miles): 3
Overall Pace (min/mile): 7:43

I'm really happy with the way the run went. I will work on either working up to more sets or try increasing the speed next time. This really made the run seem very quick since I was only focusing on 3 minutes at a time. I felt like I could have kept on going, but I was worried about pushing myself too far too fast. My calves have been getting pretty tight after runs lately, maybe since I am running much faster than before? Anyway I will be walking the auto show tomorrow and I don't need to be setting myself back on training.

On another note, I added a music player over there ------>

I put a bunch of songs that I have on my iPod that really get me in the zone when I am running. I'll try to update it whenever I get time.