Kenyan Way Speed #6 - 1,3/4, 1/2, 1/4

Warm-up, 1 mile, 3/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile with 3 minutes rest between
Goal times: 6:09-6:15, 4:30-4:36, 2:56-3:00, 1:24-1:26
Actual times: 5:57 with 5:12 rest, 4:46 with 2:48 rest, 3:03 with 2:51 rest, 1:17
Max HR = 178

That's difficult to read, but basically I went out too fast on my mile and paid for it with an extended rest and a slower than targeted 3/4 and 1/2 mile. I recouped by the end and ran a pretty fast 1/4 mile. It's difficult to maintain the target pace for two reasons: 1) It's hard to remember what the targets are when you're doing your best to put one foot in front of the other and 2) I'm not good at knowing what pace I'm running while I'm actually running it.

But overall I'm happy with the run because I finished it, and because I had a strong mile time. I've thought about my post claiming I could run a 5:45 mile, and wondered if I'm just overestimating my ability. But 5:57 isn't too far away, and I wasn't running all-out in order to save something for the rest of my speed work. I still think I can do it under the right conditions.

During a break between runs I saw the Power in Motion group running an Indian run. (Strangely enough, the only hyperlink I could find for Indian run was from the urban dictionary.) After my Kenyan Way workout I went to meet up with the PIM group for some hellos. I was very pleased to see Stephanie and Joe continuing to dedicate their time sharing their passion with new runners. If not for them I'd almost certainly be 35 pounds heavier and watching television this very moment instead of writing a blog entry about running.

As an aside, if you felt any connection with my post regarding different mindsets at different paces, you might be interested in an article I ran across in the latest copy of Runner's World. If you have a moment to read the article ("Use Your Mind to Reach Your Running Goals"), it describes the idea I tried to present, but with more eloquence and scientific integrity. They described the two mindsets as "association" (tuning in) and "disassociation" (tuning out). But they extended the concept to training and racing strategies instead of just pace, like I described.

I am 100% positive that I'll never come up with a unique concept related to running. Individuals before me have already exhausted the spectrum of ideas about running, including everything from Zen Running to hard core Ironman training. Those people are better runners than me, though they may be faster or slower, because they've literally been down that road. But I still get enjoyment out of documenting my epiphanies, although they are old news to many, because it highlights and enhances the experience for me. Right now my running is like seeing snow for the first time, or the first day of school, or when you learned how to drive. Those kinds of memories are almost universal among us. But rather than toss them aside as mundane details, we hold onto them and take time to re-live those moments throughout our lives. Putting my experiences on "paper" is a way to help me expound on the raw thoughts that pop into my head about running and to document them for my future consumption. And if by some slim chance it's entertaining or even minutely motivating to you, then it's more than I could ever hope to accomplish.