Getting back into intervals

When I was training for my second half marathon, I did 400-meter repeats, because that's what Hal Higdon told me to do.

I didn't have a smartphone then, so I picked a spot based on easy measurements rather than on optimal terrain. Nor did I have a clear idea of interval pace versus recovery pace. Going slightly downhill at top speed could be fun, but that wore off quickly after just a few recovery jogs up a long, slow incline.

When I was training for my third half marathon, I reluctantly returned to repeats — but I sure wasn't diligent about them.

However, I had a smartphone by then, which meant I could just start wherever a certain traffic-free rural road became mostly flat and run until MapMyRun told me to stop. The plan wasn't perfect: There was still a slight drop and an oh-so-helpful tailwind as I sprinted; there was still a slight incline and frustrating headwind as I recovered.

Plus, I still went too fast, but at least this time — having read that if you have to stop and gasp for breath, you're going too hard — I was aware of the problem. (But not quite able to stop it.)

Now, I'm not training for anything in particular, which I realized yesterday morning is not optimal. But with evidence of potential improvement in my 5K PR, I decided that it was time to raise the bar a little bit and sought help from Twitter.

Brad of On the bus ... Running answered: 400-meter repeats. More importantly, he recommended using the McMillan Running Calculator to determine what my times should be. I'm sure I've read/heard about the calculator before but just forgotten. Kind of like how I knew intervals were helpful for improving, but "forgot."

Anyway, yesterday's intervals went as follows: 2:02, 2:00, 2:00, 1:58, 2:00, 2:02.

I gave myself major pats on the back for the following: consistency, rather than flying and crashing; proper route choice, with no hills either way and all gusts coming during recovery jogs; mostly continued movement, even after the sprints.

As for the McMillan suggestions? I came up a little fast if I'm treating this as a stamina workout (2:06 to 2:10), a little slow if I'm treating it as a speed workout (1:49.5 to 1:55.5 for speedsters, 1:50.9 to 1:57.8 for endurance monsters).

So I'm a little off, but I'm very much encouraged. At no point did I consider keeling over, which was a frequent problem in past interval sessions; it's just that next time, I might consider being a little bit less comfortable.

Is it improved fitness, improved weather or improved feel for pacing that got me through? I'd like to think it's a mix of all three (because I can't deny that this fall has been better for running than last spring).

Web wrap-up: June 18 to 24

Gems from the Google Reader account this past week — some fluffy, some serious.

Other Voices: Being Chased Down By A Car. Mom Dorothy Beal thought her biggest obstacle was her mindset going into a run pushing three kids in a stroller and sweating under the hot sun. Instead, it turned out to be a psychopath driver who pulled up beside her, screamed obscenities at her and followed her as she tried to run away.

Beal's post isn't just about adding to the unfortunately large pile of stories in which "running while female" proves to be a huge liability — she wanted to share what she did right and wrong in handling the situation, and several commenters joined in the discussion. (I always bring my cellphone now that I'm in a new city; this is a good habit, according to the post and the law enforcement official who commented.)

Still, it's incredibly frustrating that on every blog I read (no matter the topic) there has to be a story on how to protect yourself simply because people are bat-shit crazy and because you are female.

Running Is Funny: Women Marathoners Rank 978th on This List. On a somewhat lighter note, Mike at Running Is Funny shared a Deadspin post whose topic I will delicately summarize as "what women's sport has the most attractive participants?" After the top 10, the author jumps to 978th and ranks both women's basketball and women's marathon:

"I can’t imagine anyone getting off on watching 80-lb. women struggling to finish a full marathon."

Wait, has he ever seen pictures of female marathoners? Every Runner's World I receive shows toned — not gaunt — athletes of both sexes with defined-but-not-gross six-packs. And I really don't understand the "struggling" reference ... no doubt professional athletics, particularly marathons, are physically demanding, but these people train intensively for competition. 

On the bus ... Running: Sweating the Details. This post, on being dedicated to a serious training regimen, has been rattling around in my head for a few days. Blogger Brad links to the post-run strength routine he does as well as a training article called "The Kenyan Summer," intended to help high school runners build a base for fall cross country.

For a few minutes, I pictured myself jumping in. I clicked on the link, read it, thought about the heat and realized that I'm approaching a critical point in both of my sports: deciding how much effort I'm willing to put into each, and how I'm going to adjust my attitude and expectations accordingly. More on this later, I'm sure.