Fartlek on the Beach

Today was one of the better and more fun workouts I've had in awhile.  I walked three miles on the beach all in one direction.  I ran two of the three miles back in a modified fartlek style where I walked the recovery periods.  Running segments were between .1 and .2 miles.  Actual time spent running was 15:19 (7:44, 7:35).  Mark says running barefoot on sand is a bit slower than running with shoes on the road so the times are better than they look.

Cross Training Week

Hi folks.  This week was a bit of a cross training week.  Played two hard sessions of tennis on Tuesday and Friday nights, ran Monday and Wednesday.  I did not run at all this weekend, but worked in the yard doing landscaping, sweated like a pig, and felt like I worked.  I also lifted weights 2 or 3 times this week.

With the clay tennis court club now open for the season, this "cross training" pattern may continue for a while.  I still would like to get out for a mile time trial soon, but just need to make the time.

2-mile Tempo Run Improvement

Yesterday I ran a total of 4.1 miles, including a 1.3 mile warmup at about 8:40 pace, a 2-mile tempo run on the track averaging 6:56/mile (splits of 7:05 and 6:48), and a 0.8 mile warmdown at just under 9 minute pace.  Two weeks ago, I ran nearly an identical workout, averaging 7:06 per mile.  Although I was hoping for closer to a 6:45/mile pace yesterday, this was an improvement over just weeks ago.  Also, I may have been slightly fatigued from an accidental 8.5 mile "offroad" run on Sunday, in which I became slightly lost in a swamp, and had some amount of trouble finding my way out (without sinking in too deep).

I may have a hankering to try another mile time trial this Friday.  The last mile, over two weeks ago, was 5:45, so a reasonable target would be breaking 5:40.  But one never knows what will occur when you actually toe the line! Stay tuned!