Indoor Track Workouts

Jerry and I decided to take the majority of December to focus on hitting my VO2 times and also speeding up for 200m and 300m workouts.

If you remember, at the start of December I had hit a rough patch in training; I was sick with the flu and then a sinus infection, a few workouts where I was WAY off pace (30+ seconds in a 1k), a Thanksgiving day race which was a little better but still not what I know I’m capable of.

I am so happy to say that I think I have turned a corner!

Here’s a recap of the quality days lately, all done indoors at St. Olaf. Normally I ALWAYS run outside, even for workouts, but Jerry said that we needed a month to nail workouts and not have any weather/wind/ice/snow excuses. So, St. Olaf it is. It’s only a mile away from where I work. Hu-rah for living in a college town!

No pictures from any of these workouts, but here I am after an indoor 5k at St. Olaf in 2016. I didn’t know it but I was just pregnant with Anna at this race. Blog post here. I’m planning to race there again this upcoming January, hopefully much faster than that time!

Workout 1: Written: 8x200m FAST w/ 200m recovery in 60 sec.

Actual: 36.6 average, and I found Leigh on the warm up. She hopped into my workout! Say, WHAT?!? How awesome!

35.9 – What a weird feeling in my legs! Leigh way out ahead. Dang, she has some speed.
37.3
36.9
36.3
37.1
37.2
36.1 – Leigh rallied back for this one. I pushed hard, we tied.
35.99 – Leigh and I against each other down the homestretch. We tied again- but I gave it everything I could to edge her out!

I remember doing a few 35-36s back in the day I was training with Simone, the 12-time All-American, at Carleton, and just trying desperately to keep up. It’s a good sign that my legs can move fast (for me) again! Just for fun, I searched for “Simone” in my blog. Here is the post from my first workout with her. 8 months later I was right with her, if not ahead – one of those workouts is posted here. Oh, the days!

I received my age group award from the Stillwater Log Run 10 miler. You know, that race where I was dropped off at the wrong start, drove 85 mph with a Russian guy to the right start, hopped out with 30 seconds to spare, and still managed to notch my elite qualifying time for TCM? Good times.

Workout 2: 5x800m in 2:40 with 400m recovery. 

Actual: 5x800m in 2:44 average, with Sedge.

2:42

2:41

2:45

2:48

2:45

I didn’t hit any of them in 2:40, but I was still thrilled with the effort. 4 weeks ago I averaged 2:48s (post here), so I’m 4 seconds closer to where I need to be/would like to be!

Workout 3: Written: 10×300 in 60 w/ 100m in 60 sec. recovery. 

Actual: Averaged 57.858.5
58.1
58.3
57.3
57.7
57.5
57.5
57.8
57.6
57.8I recovered MUCH faster between these than the previous times I’ve done this workout. I think I was either over 60 seconds for each of them in the past, or if I was under, it was just a 59-high. The 60 sec recovery that day actually seemed long too… for the first 8 or so, anyway. HURRAH for progress!

Just a random Anna picture. She turned 14 months yesterday and is starting to take her first steps.