2nd Track Workout in a Week

I posted some faster times on the track today for the same workout as last week: 6×400m, 1×800m.

1.  1:14  (400m)

2.  1:17  (400m)

3.  1:16  (400m)

4.  1:17  (400m)

5.  1:18  (400m)

6.  1:18  (400m)

7.  2:46  (800m)

All my 400’s were faster than my fastest time last week (1:19), and my rest was less (1 very slow lap instead of 1.5 very slow laps).  My goal was to do a 2:45 for the 800, and I went through 200m and 400m ahead of pace, but I slowed down in the 3rd 200m, picked it up a bit in the last 200m, but came through in just over 2:45 (rounded up to 2:46).

This past week was a very easy week for me because I pulled a muscle in my lower back last Friday (8 days ago), and so didn’t do any hard erg workouts and only lifted weights once (yesterday).  So while I had less rest time between intervals this week, I was far more rested than last week.

It took me about 48 minutes to do the whole workout, which is shorter than last week.  My rest time is still very long because I go veeeeery slowly on the rest lap, so over time my goal is to be able to do 75 second 400’s with the rest lap at a respectable pace, and not a I’m-on-mile-99-of-a-100-mile-road-race pace.

Almost invariably, on my 400’s I’d come through 200m around 36.5 seconds.  After a bunch of these, I thought “There are guys who can do 100m in 10 seconds, and I’m doing these in 18 seconds…”  Fortunately my goal is not to make the US Track and Field Team.

Overall, I’m pleased with this workout.  I’m now consistently faster than 80 seconds on my 400’s, and I ran 800m at about a 5:32 pace – “only” 20 seconds slower than my goal mile pace.