Pacework, Splits: I Might Be Turning Into...

... a runner!

So, I am filling in as acting dean of the Social Sciences division at my college this summer, and that is a really cool place to be. At any rate, right behind the building where I am warming the Dean's chair is the now-defunct Central High School track. With that 5k race coming up on Saturday, I thought that doing some pacework on the track would be a really hardcore runner thing to do after work. The family is up north, and what am I gonna do? Go through my Mom's plastic bins in the garage? Well, yes, I'll do that--but first I'll head over to the track.

This is also the first time I've used the chronometer memory feature on my cool running watch. You can time splits and laps and stuff. How athletic! Anyway, I went over there to calibrate my pace to about an 8:15 mile. Here's the workout:

1. 1:49 - 400m run
   
2. 3:38 - 400m walk
   
3. 2:02 - 400m run
   
4. 2:02 - 400m run
   
5. 3:50 - 400m walk
   
6. 2:02 - 400m run

So, that's 6 laps on the track total--1.5 miles. I ran the first lap waaaaaay too fast! That's about a 7:19/m pace. Ugh! I would totally leave the track in an ambulance at that pace!!! So I walked the track for another lap and decided to take it down a peg and target 2:02. Dang if I didn't hit it right on the nose! So I kept going and tried to do it again. Bang!

Then I walked for the 5th lap and tried to keep that pace in my head the way you might keep the beat of a song. I tried to keep it in my memory. My challenge to myself was to hit 2:02 on the nose for lap 6. I was surprised to see that it wasn't hard at all. I looked at the watch with about 1/8 of the track to go and I realized that I was going to hit it right on. Bang! 2:02.

It just so happens that 2:02 is the 400m pace for my desired finish time of 25:30 in the 5k. Don't believe me? Check out this totally cool pace calculator. It was actually fun to work on this and there were a few other people there at the track doing their own thing. I should do this every couple of weeks or so.

Application?

So, how do I apply this little beginning? Well, a few things are clear. First, I didn't even run a continuous mile during this little workout. So, I think I'll do that before work tomorrow. I might just take my clothes on hangers and do the workout there and shower at the college gym. Tomorrow I think I'll do a pace mile at 2:02 splits and call it good. Then I'll run in the afternoon with Bill--the standard 2 miler. Second, it's a totally different thing to sustain a pace like this for longer than a mile. I look forward to pushing myself on race day, but I wonder if I can do this. The fastest I have run 5k during regular runs is 28:00 and I was going with Steve and we were trucking (for me, anyway). I need to shave 2:30 off that time; that's about 50 seconds per mile!!!

So, let me make a deal with myself. I promise to be happy with my time no matter what. I tried, I ran a race, etc. I am shooting for the 25:30 time, but I am not sure if I can do it. That's what goals are for, right? A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?