the fourth repeat

this week brings about some changes in the daniels' program primarily in the quality workouts. i was a little leery of this mornings' track session. mostly because of the unknown. more than anything that is the big fear in running, not knowing what will happen. whether it is in the speed or the distance or a combination of the two. if you have never done it before, you just can't be sure how your body will react. but once you are on the other side of that, it comes easier the next time. you go into the run with confidence, a "i have been here before and conquered" attitude.

the workout called for 5 X 1000m at a 2:12 pace. this is two laps at 1:16:80 a piece with a final 200m push at 38:40. i have never run 1000m. i've done 800's and 1200's. the speed called for me to run at my typical 800m pace with that extra half lap tacked on to the end of it. this was going to be interesting.

the first one i hit with incredible times, especially that first 400m. this isn't strange in speed work. to blast out of that first one as though you have something to prove. fresh on strength. even a little fearful that if you don't push hard enough on that first 200m, you are going to jinx the whole workout.

over the course of the second and third, i notice that those three minute recovery laps are feeling shorter and shorter. my heart is beating much too fast, my breathing is much too deep, as i line up for the next repeat. this has me a bit worried. but i focus on relaxing, pushing through, trying to just think about that turn of the track.

then comes the fourth repeat. i hate the fourth repeat. not the fourth in everyone but what the fourth one stands for. it's not the last one which you can always power through with amazing form and speed because it is the last one. this is where you can give your all, leaving nothing back. yeah it's hard, probably physically the hardest one of the lot, but mentally it's the easiest. because you know that after this one you are going to do your cool down, hop into your car, drink water, eat a breakfast, take a shower, and go about your day never to see the track until three days later. it's the one before the last one that gets you. where you are so tired and you still have two more to go. you can't give it your all, you have to hold something back for the last one, but you can't think of the last one too much or you will go mad. this is the hardest one, mixing the physical and mental pain into the perfect balance of maximum pain. this is where you truly find out your worth as a runner. this is where you come face to face with your doubt and pain. where you need to dig deep to fight against yourself. your mind is weak, your body is weak, everything is weak. so what is it that pushes you on? but you can't think about that, for your three minutes is up and you are rounding the track again for the fourth repeat.

i did hit some amazing times. the first, third, and fifth were at 1:09's. the second and the dreaded fourth where at 1:10's. all of these are much faster than what he called for. which tells me that i am ready to jump up to the next number on the vdot scale. this is so exciting!!!! all my times will need to be faster. though i think i will wait until next week to officially start it, so that i get a full four weeks of this vdot number (as daniels recommends).

the only thing that i was a concerned about in this workout was that i felt bit out of control. all of my times total where within a second of each other which is good. but within each repeat i was constantly speeding up and slowing down. it was hard to hit a rhythm at this pace like i did with 800's and tempo work of last week. it's a strange push/pull that i'll need to get the hang of. but i will get the hang of it.

yes, i will.