Intervals and XT

Friday's workout consisted of my first attempt at intervals on a treadmill. Wow - I love running inside. It's so comfortable! No sun! Air conditioning! And top of the line TM. I ran on a Woodway For the Long Run and can honestly say it was the best TM experience I've ever had. Woodway treadmills use a series of interlocking slats instead of a solid nylon belt (like treds on a tank). It makes for a very comfortable and secure running surface. My favorite part however is the  design of the running surface:

Because it lacks the big plastic thing at the front, it makes for longer, more natural, more comfortable strides. And I didn't feel like I was running into the bulky plastic thing at the front of most treadmills. It was truly pleasureable. And with the heat I've been in, my runs have been more of a shuffling along than a real open-stride run. This was the first time since May that I actually got to open up my stride and run at a reasonable pace.

The work out:
time: 40 min
distance: 4 mi
warm up: .5 mi at 5.2 mph (11 min mi)
intervals, run segment of .25mi followed by 1m30sec recovery at 5.2 mph.
I varied my interval speeds just to get a feel for the treadmill and what intervals feel like. In the future I'm going to do my intervals at a 9:15 or so pace (if I can!) with the goal of increasing to a 9 :00 or faster pace. We'll see how it goes.
1x at 6mph
2x at 6.2 mph
2x at 6.4 mph
2x at 6.5 mph
1x at 6.6 mph
3 min at 6 mph (cool down)
3 min at 5.3 mph (cool down)

My intervals felt great. Lots of fun and the time flew by. I wasn't really tired which I think means I should be pushing the faster paces next time.

Today will be a walk or yoga XT and Sunday will be my first long run. I'm doing a hybrid training schedule of increasing distance gradually and a RW program that has you start with a long, slow run w/ breaks as needed and then pick up the pace over time. I'm worried about the mental game. So Sunday is 8 miles :) I'm normally going to do my long runs on Monday, but Luke and I are going to Monday at Maynards on Monday. In an attempt to encourage urban fitness, they sponsor runs and walks, and the athletes get discounts on beer, wine, and food following the work out.