Repeats

Wednesday, November 25, 2015 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Thanksgiving Day may be my favorite holiday of the year and part of my enjoyment of the actual time is the day before. The day before is always one that is relaxing and almost like a holiday itself. With today being that day, this particular one holds even more of a specialness to it. I am not only in Pinehurst with my wife but, we are also joined by my daughter Jennifer, her husband Aaron and our son Nick. Pretty darn special to share this time with a good portion of our family as well as be in our beautiful home that we are truly blessed to have. Jenn, Aaron and Nick made the drive yesterday to DC and then we loaded up my truck and proceeded south to Pinehurst North Carolina. The four of them were great about continuing on after the original plan called for them to spend the night in DC and for us to leave early this morning. The consensus was to keep going and it worked out great as now we have the whole day to enjoy! With it being a holiday week I kind of knew that my regular running schedule would be a little off so Monday I jumped right on my first quality specific workout of the week and did my 400 meter repeats. It was getting dark and cold when I got to the track so my resolve was certainly tested. My self-designed training plan called for a mile easy warmup and then 8-400 meter repeats at my 5K pace followed by a mile cooldown. During my mile warmup I was already wavering and thinking of excuses that would allow me be okay with getting back in my truck and back to my cozy apartment. Once I did my first repeat and was now on a recovery 400, the idea that I had 7 more sets of 400s ahead of me seemed insurmountable! As I ran that easy recovery I thought if I could at least get to 4 I would feel okay with myself and call it a night. The temperature was around 34 degrees but that excuse was no longer a factor as I felt quite comfortable in my shorts and long sleeve shirt. There was a headwind on the final stretch of the track but, that wasn’t even bothersome. The only bothersome part was that it was pretty dark but, that’s not even a big deal as I could see the lines on the track okay. So I continued on thinking get to repeat number 4 and then I had permission (from me) to call it a night. My goal of running my repeats at 5K meant that each 400 was supposed to be between 1:45 and maybe 1:55. I can honestly admit that my running is not as it once was as far as condition, so maintaining a decent pace for multiple repeats isn’t as easy as I would like. I was kind of aided by the darkness but, I decided not to look at my Garmin at all but, instead just find a pace that was strong and stay as consistent as possible. The tough part was when I came around the final 100 meters and the headwind required me to put a little more effort into maintaining my pace. I also tried to focus on my form and technique which I hoped would help with consistency with my pacing as well as minimizing the effort to maintain my speed. Many runners think that every time you run intervals, repeats or on a track that it is a “speed workout.” Repeats are not a “speed workout.” While ‘repeats and intervals’ are similar in that they are workouts of running multiple short distances with a recovery bout in between, they each have different desired goals and affects. Repeats are designed to strengthen the aerobic system and help develop a stronger overall distance base. In contrast Intervals are intended to improve lactate threshold and V02 max, thus adapting the body to go faster for longer periods of time. The problem is that runners push themselves harder than they should be when the run repeats thus hindering what the actual goal of the workout is. I have to really drive home that point to runners that think they are improving more when they push harder. That mentality is helpful when it called for in a particular workout but, not when that isn’t the goal for the workout. As I moved along and got to my fourth interval I changed my goal to getting to 6 before calling it quits. I still had no idea about how my pacing was but, I felt like I was doing a decent job of staying consistent. My form and technique stayed my focus and at times I felt pretty good with that and so when I got to my sixth 400, I knew that I would be hanging around for eight! Though now I knew I would be doing eight, I was already giving myself permission to not do the usual mile cooldown at the end. After I pushed and focused tremendously on my eight and final repeat, I started on my cooldown and kept at it until in finished the fourth lap and completing the workout in its entity! I was so proud of myself. Back at my apartment I pushed myself to do some core exercises before enjoying a wonderful hot shower. After that really great shower I looked at my data finally and this is what it looked like: Repeat one: 1:49, repeat two: 1:48, repeat three: 1:48, repeat four: 1:47, repeat five: 1:47.5, repeat six: 1:48, repeat seven: 1:48 and the final repeat: 1:47. I was blown away by my consistency and ability to maintain my same pace from the first to the last. I am not going to brag but, I was very proud of myself for not only the pacing but, for actually getting out there and doing the entire running plan. Admittedly I am not close to where I have been in the past as far as running condition or even consistency but, I am working my way back there. It is tough to be your own running coach because I am only accountable to myself and that is not always easy. Workouts like Monday night definitely help me to stay the course with my own training. Thanks for having coffee with me. It was a great way to start off this wonderful day. I truly hope you and your family have the most wonderful Thanksgiving time. Truly I am thankful for so much and the friendships I have made in this running community are an important blessing that I am very thankful for! God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving! Mike