Notes
LSLM, Alternations workout (7 mi, 0.5/0.5), SAM Hard.
Pleased with the effort and results today. HR shouldn’t have read quite this high (maybe bogus #'s?); it didn’t feel like I was red-lining at all. Cold, slippery, hilly, and windy! Ran by feel, since I couldn’t see my watch under my jacket. Surprised to see a 6:02 pace in there, although that was probably downhill with wind at my back after the turn-around.
SAM Hard was a solid effort as well.
Other:
I couldn't see my watch, so I counted steps for my "fast" portions --- every 3rd step, up to 90, repeat to 180 (roughly 3 minutes), then hit Lap, then ran the "recovery" portion until I hit one of my known mile markers. I came very close to 0.5 miles for each segment this way. I also ran by feel, so I didn't know how fast or slow my paces were relative to my goal of 6:30 /7:10. My fast portions were significantly faster than they should be, and my slow portions were just a bit slower, but overall pretty solid, and I was able to get through 7 miles without blowing up. Good result.
Actual: 6:13 avg / 7:15 avg —> sweet! Average pace for the 7 miles was 6:50, so that's good too.
I’ve been running lots of strides lately. Maybe that has helped with the speed? Anyhow, this bodes well for my next alternations workout, in which I'm aiming for 9 miles worth. If I can keep the fast portions closer to 6:30, I should be able to handle it.