URBAN TRACK - MY FIRST INTERVALS

After writing that post about the perfect "(sub)urban track" I found, I just couldn't wait to try it out. On my way home from work I swung by to check it out for flatness. Turns out it is pretty flat but not completely flat. One "end" of the track, the southern part, has a small 10 foot incline right at the curve, then it flattens out in the "endzone" and then it goes back down those 10 feet on the next curve. Both inclines are pretty gradual and weren't a deal breaker. I had a track!

So naturally, I had to go run on it... like now. Instead of doing my usual 10k loop I do on my own Thursdays, I decided to replace it with intervals. So much for waiting for my watch. I used a "stopwatch" app on my phone instead to track my splits. It was kind of annoying because I had to unlock my phone and manually hit the "lap" button each time round (risking tripping on my face while trying to operate phone while busting ass) but I managed.

Without really looking up interval workouts or anything I just figured I'd do 6x400m repeats with 400 meter jogs in between for rest. That basically means you bust tail for a quarter mile (one lap), take a "rest" lap, then bust tail again, etc. until you hit three total miles, a mile and a half of which is really fast.

By the time I arrived it was already dark. Turns out doing laps in this neighborhood is popular because there were three other people there doing laps. They were walking, but they were definitely just circling that neighborhood. A younger couple was walking the interior sidewalks, thus not in my way, while an older woman was doing laps on the outside edge where I was running.

It will be interesting to see if I always have company when I go to run there. Honestly, they didn't seem to blink an eye. The older woman and I took turns getting out of the way for each other. It all worked well. Since it was dark I felt less judged from the houses around me too. Overall, I had a good time.

The workout itself was fun! After a 1.3 mile uphill warm up to get there, I started with my first fast lap. I tried to go as fast as I could without really just outright sprinting. It felt good. And the lap was over before I knew it. For the rest laps I just did a comfortable jog. These ended up slightly under 9:00/mile which is crazy. Some nights just running 9:00/mile seems torturous, tonight it was a nice chance to catch my breath.

The varied paces and constantly changing from one to another really helped this workout speed by. Before I knew it I was done! I felt great too - like I got a really good workout and my legs might be feeling it tomorrow, but my body felt awesome. Close to a runner's high! I know they all won't be like that, but it was a fun workout. I'll be back!

Interval	400m Time	400m Pace	Rest Time	Rest Pace
#1	1:38	6:32/mi	2:15	9:00/mi
#2	1:42	6:48/mi	2:13	8:52/mi
#3	1:42	6:48/mi	2:10	8:40/mi
#4	1:40	6:40/mi	2:14	8:56/mi
#5	1:42	6:48/mi	2:10	8:40/mi
#6	1:38	6:32/mi	2:15	9:00/mi
Average	1:40.30	6:41/mi	2:12.83	8:51/mi

I've always wanted to do a chart like that as a stat nerd. So stat nerds eat your heart out. I should add cadence and heart rate... then we'd really be talking, huh? My "watch" did hundredths, but I rounded... that makes the paces jump in four second increments though... next time I'll probably post the more precise numbers.

All told, I think this 6x400m workout is great for 5k preparation and general speed gathering. I'd like to see if I could get my average pace on the intervals to 6:15/mile in the next couple months. Funny to think that's only dropping to a 1:33.75 lap, so just a few seconds. I'm so used to the longer distances where you chuck seconds in the dumpster. Here to shave a few seconds off is a lot of work!

Also surprised I was able to run relatively even splits (even the resting laps) without a watch. I know once I get the watch I'll be glancing at it when I hit the halfway point and trying to really dial the times in.