speedwork, part deux

no Andrea! Speedwork is not a race.

“The most effective running intensity to improve your VO2 max is 95 percent to 100 percent of your current VO2 max. Well-trained runners can run at VO2 max pace for about eight minutes. Ninety-five percent to 100 percent of VO2 max coincides with current 3,000 meter to 5,000 meter race pace. ” – Pete Pfitzinger.

My 5K PR is about a 7:04 pace (although I averaged faster than that on a 5 mile leg of Hood to Coast last year). That means I should be doing those 600m intervals at roughly a 2:37 pace.

I tried to stick to that, but when Meredith is jackrabbiting out in front of me, I start thinking I’m too slow, so I speed up. Then I’d check my watch and see I was going too fast and slow down, only to surge forward again.

the workout was 8 miles with 5x600m at 5K pace.

Goal: 2:37

1: 2:24
2: 2:32
3: 2:30
4: 2:29
5: 2:23

Before the last interval, Mike told me to “show Meredith who’s boss”, as she had been kicking our butts through the whole workout. I said I wasn’t interested in racing, but I did try to keep up with her the last 600.

Overall, they were all too fast, so I don’t know that it was as effective a workout as it could have been. But I was happy that my intervals did not slow as they went on. Now we’ll just see if this has ANY effect on marathon performance!