Tonight’s workout was tough, but a great confidence booster. For my warm up I headed to the local high school track and gradually picked up the pace to ensure I was ready to run several 200m repeats. I wasn’t exactly sure how many I’d be able to do, but planned on a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 – each one with a 200m jog recovery.
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….