Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Track Take Three

I hit the track after work to tackle the infamous 3 x 1600 workout once again.

It went slightly better than last week.

I felt pretty good during the first set, felt like crap during the second set and almost called it quits then convinced myself I could survive 4 more laps, even though - once again - I was way off target pace.

Here are the stats as compared to last week.


(Target is 1:50/400 = 7:20/1600.)


So, I improved my overall interval time by 9 seconds and my average 1600 by a whopping 3 seconds. Better than nothing?? I'm starting to wonder if my target is too aggressive, but it can't hurt to keep trying (except maybe my morale).

Observation: Tonight I realized that I had to run in lane 2 in order for one complete lap to equal 400m (according to Gsrmin) - is the track playing tricks with me, or was Garmin just trying to make me work harder

The fact that my final 400 was so much faster than the 7 previous laps leads me to believe I had more in me than I thought and let myself slow down too much/too soon. I think I'll try again. (I must be a glutton for punishment!)

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28 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

awesome job on the track work! You're doing so well, keep up the great work!

Chic Runner said...

Wow marlene, that's amazing, good work! you'll keep getting faster, don't worry! :)

Jamie said...

Fantastic job on the track workout! Every second matters so way to go with the 3 seconds!!! Keep it up!

Dori said...

Nice work. It's hard to maintain a pace on the track. I do it on the treadmill, which is kind of cheating.

Melanie Tait said...

How great is that garmin... making you work harder!

Well done on the track work!

Relentless Forward Commotion said...

Great job!! i need to get around to starting track work very soon here. I am somewhat dreading it1

EndorphinBuzz said...

Good job! You are getting faster, that is what counts.

Was it cloudy out there? I find my garmin to be more accurate when there is no cloud cover. You may also benefit from upping the resolution if you want super accurate tracking but it will take longer to synch and the garmin may get full quicker.

Anonymous said...

Wayto keep up with the track workouts. I think it is always tough to figure out just how much you can push yourself.

Mark said...

Marlene, you are getting stronger!!
I use a stopwatch to time laps on the track. I use the Garmin to record the info but the stopwatch is the true task master. Stay on the inside and trust it's 400 meters. That is a really great workout and you will be so surprised by the results!!

J said...

I don't think your goal time is too aggressive and I do think that garmin is playing tricks on you. On a standard track you would need to back up about 10 feet from the starting line to reach 1 mile because from start to finish it is not exact. I would prolly need to show you a picture of the two lines on a track to be more clear but anyway....I think running in lane 1 should be ok. Gramin can be silly sometimes i think. Great job on the workout, its hard to do mile repeats by yourself!

Lindsay said...

i would doubt that whoever put the track down didn't measure it properly, but that's just me.

nice job on the track work! i don't think your goal is too tough - you just have to continue the workouts and you'll continue to see progress and get more "used" to the pace. 9 seconds may not seem like a lot over a shorter distance but it adds up.

chris mcpeake said...

Great job.
The inside lane is probably 400m. Because of how the garmin gets its info it can be off slightly. Trust the track.

Just a suggestion. It looks like you are out too fast on your first interval. You should try and set your pace for something that you can sustain for all of your intervals. If you are slower later on you are most likely to fast. Going to fast early burns out the legs and leads to ragged form later on which in turn makes you more likely to get injured.

I do or have done the same thing. It took me a long time to learn not to go out too fast. Anyway just my 2 cents...

great job tho as track always hurts.

Jess said...

Great job on the track workout!

Heather said...

That's a great track workout - 1600's are so hard. I have to mix them up with 400's or 800's every other week or I get burnt out.

No Longer Using said...

oooh what?! you had to run in lane 2? that's soo bizarre. i guess you could run on the outside of lane 1 and the inside of lane 2 and that would be the same thing right? 3x1600 is HARD kudos to you for having a great workout. way to go!!! it is really hard to judge if you have more in you enough for the entire workout or when/where to really push without pushing too hard. keep at it! you are doing great!

Jenn said...

That's amazing!
I'm still trying to find a nearby track that I'm not scared I'll get kicked off of!

JenZen said...

Ugh - I hate 1600 repeats. They're killer! Great job busting out that last one!!

Denise said...

I'm lost when it comes to track workout terminology. I'll have to try it out one of these days.

Nitmos said...

Your line of improvement is going up (or down - however you want to look at it) so keep on keepin' on! I'm in the same boat. My times are getting better but not in the range I set for myself....yet. We just need to keep working and it'll come.

Marky Mark said...

Still early I realize but does this mean you're aiming for a particular time at Scotia such as 4?

Anonymous said...

Hi! Awesome track workout!!!! I don't think your goal is unattainable at all! It'll definitely take a lot of hard work but you absolutely have it inside of you!!!!!!!! Good luck!

Unknown said...

Good job on the workouts. I have noticed that my Garmin never rang true to a track either. I updated the software in it but have not used it on a track since. I'll let you know when I get back to the track next week.

Unknown said...

Great job. Looks like it's paying off. It always seems so improve so slowly.

X-Country2 said...

Improvement is improvement! Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

way to keep hittin the track!! This is a big improvement in just a week! You'll get used to the workout and get faster - a goal never hurts, even if you're "far" from it now :)

Felice Devine said...

Awesome job!! Improvement is improvement, bottom line.

Thanks for the link!

yumke said...

I go with the track. Garmin isn't good with those tight turns we do on the track.. Good job on keeping it consistent, that's the aim I usually have for trackwork.

Being Robinson said...

wow, great speedwork! you are sooooo gonna kick some ass. it looks to me like you are doing great. and i say if you feel good doing speedwork at that pace, then keep at it!