Ladders

I woke up bright and early to meet Chuck down at APSU for our regular friday morning run. On the schedule for today was a mile warm up, 3 x 1 mile intervals, 1 mile cool down.

Chuck has too much time on his hands. He must lay awake at night, thinking of ways to make us work since he decided to change the schedule so that we were doing ladders today.

Since I had no clue what ladders were, other than a household item used to replace lightbulbs, I was not sure exactly what we would be doing but based on his grin, he was going to have fun with me.

We did an easy mile warm up through the foggy campus and then a lap around the track for a time of 12:10.

Chuck explained that ladders were just progressive distances, each one bit longer to a certain distnance and then a reverse back down to the starting point. It is not nearly as complicated as it sounds. We would run 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m and 800m.

Now, based on last time we did intervals, I knew better than to say anything when Chuck told me what time he wanted me to run 800 meters in. My eyebrows did shoot up but I refrained from comment. Obviously Chuck saw the eyebrows though.

Once again, I shot out way too fast (really gotta work on that) so was having a problem breathing before a lap was finished. I did manage to slow down and catch my breath so I could run at a fairly comfortable pace. As we passed the start line, I heard Chuck give a snort and look over at me, smiling. I just told him to hush...I was well under the time he asked for.

After each rung of the ladder, we would walk about 400 meters to give me a break and get ready for the next set.

800 meters (.5 miles) - 4:25 - 8:53 pace!!
1200 meters (.75 miles) - 7:32 - 10:06 pace
1600 meters (1 mile) - 10:10 - 10:10 pace..duh :)
1200 meters (.75 miles) - 7:41 - 10:18 pace
800 meters (.5 miles) 4:45 - 9:33 pace
800 meter (.5 miles) cool down - 5:30 - 11:00 pace

Now, before the end of this workout, an 11:00 pace would have felt blazing fast to me. Our cool down lap felt really, really slow and comfortable to me.

It was a really good work out. I can see where it will benefit me. I really need to feel my pace so that during a race, I can tell when I am going too fast and need to slow down. Right now, I can't maintain these paces but I will get there. He did say that I am very consistant once I find my pace, I was under his target each time.

Tomorrow is a rest day and then on Sunday we are doing a 10 mile long run out on the back fourty. Jim, Samantha and Brittany should be there as well.