Thursday evening meant it was time to take another trip to the track for a punishing 200m interval session. Last week I managed 28 x 200m, so the plan today was to add another 4 to the mix.

I ran a 5 mile warm-up to the track at just under 7:30 per mile pace and got started right away on the intervals:

The first eight went well and the splits were very consistent – 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 37, 38

The second eight went equally well and by now my legs were used to a faster cadence and ticking over nicely – 38, 37, 37, 38, 37, 38, 38, 38, 38

The third block of eight were much tougher and as the sun went down, so did my body temperature – 37, 38, 37, 38, 38, 37, 37, 37

The final eight were somewhat of a struggle. In fact, I tweaked my right calf muscle on interval #29 and was forced to take it easy for the final 3 x 200s and slow jog home – 38, 38, 37, 39, 38, ?, ?, ?

Still, I managed to log just over 15 miles with a good percentage of quality running. I’ve iced my calf and am hoping it won’t get in the way of a solid performance at Saturday’s Mud in Your Eye 6k cross country race. We’ll soon see…

The workout came to be after chatting with local “running guru” Mel Williams after Saturday’s 20k race. Mel is one of only five runners to complete EVERY Marine Corps Marathon since its first running in 1976 and consistently finishes in the top of his age group. His knowledge of the sport is second to none and his willingness to share training tips and race strategies is unmatched.

My marathon PR attempts came up in the conversation and Mel told me about one his favorite workouts when he was at his peak – a midweek 20 miler comprising a 5 mile warm up/cool down and 10 miles on the track! Yes, you read it correctly, 10 miles on the track made up of 40 x 200m with a 200m jog recovery.

I thought about Mel’s workout for a couple of days and decided I’d attempt to build up to his classic 20 miler over the next couple of months. Tonight would be the base line test….

I figured I’d start off with a moderate 200m effort and see how I felt. The first interval was right on 40 seconds (5:20 per mile pace) and felt quite comfortable. Interval #2 was also a 40sec effort and the only problem was the blustery wind. After the 4th 200m I decided to change direction on the track to prevent excess stress on my left knee. By now I was in a good groove and consistently running 39sec repeats at a max heart rate of about 165bpm (still plenty in the tank).

After the 8th or 9th 200, darkness kicked in and I could no longer see the screen on my Garmin and therefore stopped focusing on the splits. By the time I got to repeat #15 I was fatigued, but not exhausted, so I stepped up the pace a little and finished off the workout in style.

The cool down was uneventful but my legs still felt good – somewhat surprising after an 11 mile effort. Back at the house I uploaded the Garmin track and was pleased with the results. My splits continued to get faster and I finished off with a slew of 37s and a final 35 second 200m!

40 40 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 38 39 38 38 38 37 37 37 37 37 35

So, thanks Mel for suggesting the workout. Maybe I can add a little to the warm up/cool down each week and tag on 4 extra 200m repeats until I reach the magic 40? Another 5 weeks and I should be there. Let’s hope the hard work pays off at the Shamrock Marathon in March….

Splits are not very impressive, but here they are anyway: 7:53, 7:40, 7:40, 7:38, 7:14, 7:03, 7:05, 7:59, 7:57

So, 60 miles logged for December and 2276 for 2008 with just 22 days remaining. Looks like I’ll hit 2400 miles for the year; not too shabby I suppose.

Click on the map for full details of the run:

From the McMillan Running web site:

The theory behind Yasso 800s is that your time in minutes and seconds for a workout of 10 times 800 meters (two laps of the track) with equal recovery time is the same as the hours and minutes of your marathon time. For example, if you can run 10 times 800 meters in three minutes and 20 seconds with three minutes and 20 seconds recovery, then this predicts that you can run three hours and 20 minutes for your marathon. Run 2:40 for the 800s and you can run 2:40 for the marathon.

My experience, though, is that Yasso 800s predicts about five minutes too fast for most marathoners. Using the example above, my experience has been that 10 times 800 meters in 3:20 with 3:20 recovery yields closer to a 3:25 marathon for most competitive runners. Because this workout is easy to do, I try to include it two or three times in a marathon training cycle. It not only provides a good predictor of marathon pace but allows you to chart your increasing fitness – a big confidence builder.

The strong winds and rain made conditions far from ideal, but I was determined to do my best and complete the 10 repeats. Pace judgment was also quite difficult in the dark so it was very much a run by feel type of workout.

Here’s how I did…..

Splits: 2:52, 2:53, 2:53, 2:51, 2:51, 2:49, 2:51, 2:53, 2:50, 2:50
Average: 2:51.3

All in all I’m happy with the consistency of the splits although I must admit I was hoping for an average of around 2:50. Interesting though that I was able to run the second batch of 5 x 800s seven seconds quicker than the first batch – most encouraging!

Still a little work to do before the Richmond Marathon on November 15th, but at least there are only a couple of “tough” workouts remaining. Looking good….

The heat was oppressive and I soon realized I should have carried some water with me. Too late; by the time I reached the track there was no point turning back so I ran 16 straights (I think you call them straightaways over here don’t you?) and jogged 16 bends. Nice workout and the strides felt very good.

The only downside was the lack of fluids, so I took a slight detour on the way home to stop off at an old public restroom for a quick drink. Just my luck though; by the looks of things it had been demolished a day or two ago and all that was left was a pile of bricks. The last mile home was quite miserable, but I made it safely and enjoy cooling off outside the house with the garden hose.

For the record -
Temperature: 95°F
Wind: 18.4mph
Mile splits: 7:42 7:23 7:02 6:43 7:20 7:24

For example, say you do your Yasso 800s at an average of 3 minutes 15 seconds – this would predict a marathon finish time of 3 hours 15 minutes. Sound too good to be true? As long as you’ve trained for your marathon correctly and included the necessary speed work and long runs, Yasso’s are generally a great indicator of your possible finish time. I’ve completed this workout several times before marathon attempts and the results have been fairly accurate.

I ran 2 miles to the local track carrying a bottle of water to use between 800s. The temperature was a surprising 67°F and I knew I’d soon get thirsty and need to replenish lost fluids. The warm up felt good and after 5-10 minutes of stretching I was ready to go.

However, just 300m into the first interval, a shooting pain in my right shin confirmed that the Yasso’s were probably a bad idea. Maybe the pain would have gone away if I continued the 800′s, but to be honest with just 8 days to go until the Shamrock Marathon, I decided not to risk anything and halted the workout. Maybe I’m getting wiser in my old age, or maybe the bulldog in me was having an off day…

I decided to “just go for a run” instead and ended up logging an extra 10.5 miles (click the MotionBased graphic below for full details). The rain sprinkled on and off the whole time I was running, but was actually very refreshing in the slightly humid conditions. However, the heavens opened just one mile from the house and I ended up getting absolutely drenched! No worries, it turned out to be a fun run and on reflection I know I made the right decision regarding the track workout.

Going into today’s workout I was a bit concerned the plan called for 6 x 400m repeats. Track work usually takes a lot out of me, and with the marathon only 5 days away I didn’t want to risk anything. What’s more, the 400m repeats had to be completed in 78 seconds, which is a pretty quick 5:12 pace for a mile.

Despite being windy and warm (15mph and 85°F respectively), it felt great to be outside on another pleasant fall day. I chose not to run on the track tonight, but instead marked out a 400m section of a parking lot. I had this strange notion that the track was too formal a workout and wanted something low key for my final “speed session” before the marathon.

My 2 mile warm up went well and my legs felt ready to run. I even changed my running shoes to the pair I plan to wear on race day — Brooks ST3 — which at 8.4oz are lightweight and should give me some sort of advantage over 26.2 miles. Just lacing them up makes you feel fast to be honest! The first 400m went well – very well actually. 76 seconds instead of the suggested 78 seconds in the plan. Question was, could I maintain it?

400m #2: another extremely quick one – this time 72 seconds! It felt fairly easy and although I had a slight tailwind, my legs felt light and speedy.

400m #3: slightly slower at 75 seconds, but still under the target. By now my breathing is becoming labored, but my legs still feel good.

400m #4: a change in wind direction meant I was fighting it for most of the 400m, but I managed to duck under the goal and record a 77 seconds. Foolishly I’d forgotten to bring a drink with me, and by now by mouth was dry and thirst had kicked in. Still, just 2 more repeats and I would be done.

400m #5: I tried really hard on this one and ended up sprinting the last 100m to finish in 73 seconds – breathing heavy, but legs still feeling good.

Final 400m: all or nothing as always is the case! I wanted this one to be the fastest of the afternoon, but it wasn’t to be. However, I matched the last 400m and recorded another 73 seconds.

All in all a great “track” workout (even though it wasn’t on a track!). 6 x 400m repeats all considerably under the goal and most pleasing of all, no injuries and no real soreness.

One more shortish tempo run on Sunday and that’s me done. At this stage in the game, there’s not much else I can do except watch what I eat and drink and take care to get enough sleep. Tomorrow I start my 4 day loading cycle of Race Day Boost, which I’ve used successfully in several previous marathons. According to the Hammer Nutrition folks it “aids increased cellular energy production and buffers performance-robbing lactic acid”. Read more about this great product here.

Anyway, tonight’s workout was a 10-20 minute warm up (no problems here!), followed by 8 x 800m with a 90 second recovery between repeats. I wanted to run them in around 2:50 per 800m, and as usual I started off very well.

2:47, 2:48, 2:47, 2:47

It was after the 4th 800m that I realised I still had a lot of work to do before the workout was over. The 5th one was a real struggle at 2:50, but somehow I found a little something in reserve to record a 2:48 6th repeat. The 90 second recovery went so fast and before I knew it I had to pick up the pace for another 800m of hell.

Here it all went quite wrong. I slowed dramatically to a 2:54 and really had to give everything just to achieve that time. I “treated myself” to a 120 second recovery, but could still only manage a 2:56 final 800m.

A few hours have passed since the workout and looking back I still can’t figure out what was wrong. My hydration was good, I’d eaten well (but not too well) all day long and I was mentally looking forward to the challenge. I’d even given myself an extra recovery day after my 20 mile run on Sunday. My legs just weren’t up to the challenge tonight and I’m hoping it’s a temporary thing. Funny thing is, my legs feel great again right now.