For those who don’t know, roseabi is running a 4-week winter Speed Challenge here on B210K. You pick a distance of either 1km or 1mile and in week 1 run that as fast as possible. Then over the next 3 weeks you try to beat your time! Simples! 😁
So, I created a roughly 4k interval workout on my watch as follows:
1k warmup jog, 0.5k recovery, 1k run, 0.5k recovery, 1k cooldown jog - no set distance - to end when I press the button on my watch.
I decided to run part of my route past the Rugby Club again since it’s a long straight road, with virtually no traffic. It’s part dirt track, part un-adopted gravel so I expect I would be slightly faster on the pavement, but this is much kinder to my knees.
I estimated that 1.5k for the first two jog/walk intervals would take me just past the still flooded section of road immediately before the Rugby Club, leaving just over one kilometre to the junction with the main road. Perfect! It turned out my estimate was slightly out, so in order not to run out of road on the 1km run, I had to double back for a bit on the first walk interval. Never mind – it didn’t affect anything.
So - the kilometre sprint...
My watch buzzes to start the 1k run interval and off I go! I only know that I don't want to start too quickly and burn out too soon.
After a bit I look at my watch to check my pace – Gah! I only have average pace over the whole run set in the display. I find this perfect for longer slower runs, but it’s of absolutely no use whatsoever to me on this run! 😡😠
So, I try to run this by feel. After 0,3km, I feel like I have more to give so I rack the pace up a bit. This feels fast (for me).
I'm reaching 0.7k and it's staring to get really tough going. I know I can't sustain this degree of effort for another 0.3k so I back off a bit.
With about 125 metres to go I’m feeling stronger so I crank it up a notch again to finish fast and strong. This feels hard!
My watch buzzes for the end of the run and start of the 0.5 recovery interval, so breathing heavily, I gratefully turn around and walk back up the road towards the Rugby Club again.
My watch buzzes again for the cooldown jog. I'm still breathing hard and my heart rate is still up, so I jeff this interval – jogging 2 minutes and walking 60 seconds. I pick my way gingerly across the flooded section, even though strictly speaking this should have been a jog section.
I don't want muddy, wet feet again today!
In the end, I must have got a bit carried away on this cooldown as when, close to home, I stop my watch it reads Time 42:04, Distance: 4.9km.
Part of me wished I had carried on for the 5k, but that wasn’t the point of todays run.
Back home, stretches done, watered and cheese on toast lunch, I have just enough time to shower and change before my first meeting of the afternoon.
Looking at the stats later I see I have a new Personal Record for 1km of 6.21 which beats my previous PB by 42 seconds. I'm happy with that!😁🏅
I've not tried anything like this before and I found it really difficult at the time to gauge effort and pace over the kilometre. In hindsight, I think I managed things reasonably well.
I definitely feel like I can go faster – but I may well live to eat my words. The proof of the pudding as they say!
Well, that was tough 🥵😖
