My blog basically tells a story.  It discusses my fitness endeavors.  I have always used a story format in my blog, but now I am starting to think that I should add a bit more technical information.  Once I obtain my personal trainer certification I can even include more fitness tips and workout ideas.  However, I am still in the learning period of this blogging.  I know I have written this blog for quite some time, but I have not figured out ways to add data, pictures and videos.  I think my next step will be to figure that all out and if you have any tips, then please feel free to share!

So, today I will be sharing some data.  One way to motivate yourself is to post your goals and accomplishments for others to see.  When you do so, you feel more obligated to hold yourself accountable.  I have a friend who just started discussing her 10K training in her blog.  She mentioned that she would run that 10K on her birthday no matter what!  Now, it is beneficial that I know because I can occasionally ask her “Hey, how is training going?”  She doesn’t want to be embarrassed to say that she has been skipping workouts, so she will make more of an effort to do that evening run.  Yes, peer pressure still works wonders even at our age.  The best part about it is that I will feel like I am part of her cheer squad from afar and I will be excited for her when she crosses the finish line.

I need to keep myself motivated and hold myself accountable.  Not only that, but I would like to share my experiences with others so that they can learn from my successes AND my failures.

Today was my second track workout here in windy Colorado.  This track stuff is a new challenge for me and I have no experience in working with intervals and splits.  I barely knew that 400 meters equals one lap around the track.  I know that is a surprise for most of you because I consider myself a runner, but I always kind of feared the track for some reason.  Probably because I would just drop my jaw in bewilderment as I tried to interpret something like this:

2 X 400 r=200, 8 X 300, r=100, 2 X 400, r=200 

??????????  Looks like a bunch of math formulas  to me!

Yes, that was our workout for the evening.  And NOW I actually know what it means (for the most part).  To sum it  up for you:  warm-up with a few easy laps, run 400 meters FAST, jog 200 meters, run 400 meters FAST, jog 200 meters, run 300 meters SUPER FAST, jog 100 meters (do that 300/100 8 times), go back to the 400 meters FAST (twice) and then run an easy mile to cool down.  Now, I won’t even mention the whole @5K pace or @10K pace because I am still trying to figure that out.  For now, I just run FAST and SUPER FAST when required.

Great stuff…. really.  It is only 300 meters that I have to run SUPER FAST (well, 8 times), but I feel like I am going to PASS OUT during the last 100 meters because I am pushing so hard.  Then they tell us to do it again and AGAIN.  Oh, maybe I should mention that 400 meters would equal .25 miles.  That would make 300 meters around .19 miles.

So, during each of these sprints we were timed.  These are called splits.  It is great if you can run each one consistently (in this case, all 8 for the 300 meters).  It is even better if you can run each one FASTER than the one before.  Those would be considered negative splits.  I was so thrilled during the Goofy marathon when I found out that my buddy and I had run the second half of the marathon FASTER than the first half.

Here are my splits for today’s workout:

400 meters : 1:40, 1:43, 1:51, 1:50 (sort of consistent, but I obviously hard more energy during the first one)

300 meters: 1:14, 1:14, 1:15, 1:14, 1:13, 1:16, 1:15, 1:14  (not bad for consistency)

After all the FAST running, SUPER FAST running and jogging, I realized I had run a total of 6 miles.

I’m not sure if it good or bad to run with people who are faster than you.  I love being challenged, but I think I about killed myself!

Somehow I have to get my poor body out of bed tomorrow morning at 6:00 am to go swim in a lake and follow it up with a bike ride.   Yes, I love torturing myself.