Just as quickly as those feelings appeared, they dissolve away. My heart races, my lungs gasp for air that it can't quite find. I am so close to my limit that I can feel it through every molecule in my body. I push harder, reveling in the discomfort. It begins in my arms, I sense my movement fall off the music's beat. My legs follow and soon I feel my body instinctively ease up as if met by a strong headwind. In a moment of despair, I cannot imagine making it to the end. I wonder if I should have gone out slower. Then the end is just steps away. Relief! I will make it! My head urges my limbs forward and the final paces are met with renewed mental strength. Then it is over.
A sudden blast of euphoria ensues. I made it. As I finish the lap and begin my recovery, I glance down at my watch to note my split. The entire emotional spectrum in less than 45 seconds. This is why I like 200m repeats.
The Math:
10x200m goal: 40-44 sec.
My recoveries were inconsistent, but for the most part, if the recovery was longer, the rep was shorter. The last recovery is longest because I put my headphones in my pocket and waited for Matt to catch up. Then we dueled. He didn't quite give me enough of a head start and caught my by the end of the turn at 75m, so he definitely beat me. We both ran our fastest 200m reps ever, so it was still pretty awesome.
Do you like running 200m repeats? What is your favorite track distance?
I used to swear the mile was my favorite, but I think I like all of them. One day soon I'd like to try a ladder workout and incorporate all the distances in at once.
4 comments:
Do I like running 200m reps? I don't think I have to answer that question!!!
Based on your prose, it seems like the limiting factor in this workout is lung-power/oxygen rather than muscle-power/leg speed. Keep working at them!
You are such an inspiration. For as much as I run / ran, I never did speed work, but look forward to it post-baby. So, I've never done 200m repeats:(
Danny, At 200m pace, it definitely is my lungs. But on a 5K race, I do feel pretty wobbly, which I think is more of a leg thing. I did notice a difference in how solid my form was at the Fortuna Rodeo 5K, so there has definitely been an improvement. I'm excited to see where this consistent speed work gets me.
Meghan, I used to hate running fast and didn't do speed training at all for the first eight (of 10 total) years running. Just running while pregnant is probably a really tough workout!
The 200s will develop stronger form for both races and longer speed work; as you felt. Keep focusing on the speed during the 12 reps until all are below 42, going as slow on the recoveries as needed while still maintaining running form. In september transition to focusing on doing each set of four reps in about 8:00-8:10 (or faster) each. It will hurt, but by that time your body will be adapting well to the work. Hopefully, in oct sometime you can then transition to 1600s for 4-6 weeks before getting ready for cim. I can see the adaptations already taking place from reading the charts!
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