Nailed a workout… and then a hundred degree temp?

5×1 mile @ T, 4x200m.  18 miles total.

Oddest evening ever:

First, a truly awesome tempo workout with Craig at the Carleton track.  I knew I needed to get on some solid ground for this since I know I’ve been doing too much on the treadmill.  I made my own workout up for the day (eeek – forgive me Jerry!).  I’ve been feeling run down since late last week, and although I’m coming out of it, I knew the 14 mile marathon pace and tempo workout Jerry had down was assuming I was 100%.  I turned on my “intuitive brain” (see, Jim!) and thought about my week, what “felt” right, and what I thought would prepare myself best for the race this weekend.  I’m very proud to be able to do this – both have the courage to alter my plan and to be able to trust my experience and that “intuitive” self.

We did 5×1 mile at tempo with 2 minutes rest (longer rest so that I could make sure I wasn’t putting myself under like the last couple of hard workouts) and then 4x200m cut-downs.

This was Craig’s first workout, but as usual, he is in lock-step with me.  What an animal :).  We went through each one perfectly, moving down from 5:58 to 5:44 for our last one.  I was super pumped. Not only are they the first tempo miles I’ve been able to do sub-6’s, but they FELT like a true tempo effort (which is the most important thing).  Nothing like that labored-breathing-but-not-too-labored feeling!

Then to 4x200m – goal to have each one faster than the last.  38 for the first.  Then 37.  Then 36.  Yes!  Best thing was that I was actually feeling that my legs could move and respond.  Usually my top speed on these is around a 36.  I’ve done a 35 once.  (Go ahead, laugh.  I have NO footspeed and I’m not ashamed of that!)  We took off and I tried to keep in touch with Craig.  He yelled at me the last 50, which helped me to push a little more.

Guess what? 35.01.  Pretty sure that is the fastest that I’ve ever done a 200 (in my post-college marathon years).  Too bad I didn’t have an extra .02 in me… then I could have called it a 34!!!

All in all, a super workout.  It was exactly what my body needed – to be pushed, but not an extraordinary amount to set me back.  It was also a huge confidence booster that I have made progress over the last month and that my paces are actually decently strong, despite what the last 3-4 treadmill workouts would tell me.

[Aside: the more I thought about it, the more I think it could be because I am a strong push-off runner and on a treadmill you don’t get to use that power as much… you’re just keeping up with the belt.  So perhaps it IS harder for me to run paces on that darn machine?  Who knows]

Then, a longer cool down.  1.5 miles from home I stopped talking.  With a mile to go, I yearned to be home.  You know that feeling.  I AM DONE! screams the legs and body.  Except the shortest distance home IS a mile, so you have to do it.  I stopped and stretched, asked Nate to tell me about his day to make the time go by faster (nothing like stories about teeth to make the time fly by!), and put one foot in front of the other all the way back home.

And that’s when I crashed.  I laid on the floor and for the first time in a year or more, I didn’t do my pushups and sit ups after my run.  My body hurt.  Sometimes I feel this way after a hard marathon pace run, but never after a shorter workout where I felt so good during.

Long, hot shower and then a wonderful all-food-groups sandwich made by Nate (the Great), and I immediately went upstairs to bed.  I fell asleep immediately only to wake up an hour later wide awake.  I took my temp: 101.  Hmm.

So… I’ll end this here.  What an interesting 6 hour span: nailing a workout and feeling great to running a fever and feeling achy and crummy.  Hopefully it doesn’t turn into anything, I’d really like to see what I could do this Sunday at the Irish Run 8k!