Virtual Workout--THURSDAYS....

[La]

I love these kinds of button pushing workouts for the treadmill!

Ditto! I get so bored on the TM, so this workout means I only need to focus for a maximum of 5 minutes at a time!

[Habs4ever]

The challenge will be to figure out the pacing on this one. Hmmm...

I've written mine out, I hope I don't regret the paces I've picked.

[La]

The challenge will be to figure out the pacing on this one. Hmmm...

I've written mine out, I hope I don't regret the paces I've picked.

The thing I like about this workout is that we now have a baseline from the previous few workouts to help us set appropriate paces for a 5-min, 4-min, 3-min, 2-min, and 1-min effort.

[IronColl]

The challenge will be to figure out the pacing on this one. Hmmm...

I've written mine out, I hope I don't regret the paces I've picked.

The thing I like about this workout is that we now have a baseline from the previous few workouts to help us set appropriate paces for a 5-min, 4-min, 3-min, 2-min, and 1-min effort.

I was honestly expecting a lot of backlash with this one because of the lack of instruction.

[La]

The challenge will be to figure out the pacing on this one. Hmmm...

I've written mine out, I hope I don't regret the paces I've picked.

The thing I like about this workout is that we now have a baseline from the previous few workouts to help us set appropriate paces for a 5-min, 4-min, 3-min, 2-min, and 1-min effort.

I was honestly expecting a lot of backlash with this one because of the lack of instruction.

Some might call it "lack of instruction," I call it "flexibility!"

[scrumhalfgirl]

Done! Total of 8.5 km in...oh dear, can't remember! 47 minutes, I think? I gradually increased the pace as I went down the ladder the first time, then kept it quicker on the way back up. Time went by very quickly! I had to take a 2 minute break before the last 5 minute interval to keep Felix content, and didn't have time for much of a cool-down.

[La]

Well, I almost completed this workout, but not quite...

10-min w/u 6.0 - 6.3mph
I did my intervals as follows (all my 1-min recoveries were done at 5mph)
5min @ 7.0
4min @7.2
3min @7.4 [I found this interval/pace the most challenging]
2min @7.6
1min @7.8
2min @7.6
*3min @7.4

*On the way back "up" the ladder, I got part way through my 3-min interval and had to stop as I was feeling horrible (I'd had a sore throat all day, though no other symptoms), so I just stopped there. Total distance was 4 miles (6.44K). I can't remember the time. Maybe 38 minutes total?

[purdy65]

Hope you feel better La!

I liked this one!

10M warmup @ 6.0 - 6.2mph
5 min @ 7.2
4 min @ 7.4
3 min @ 7.8
2 min @ 8.1
1 min @8.4
2 min @ 8.1
3 min @ 7.8 - bumped it up to 8 for a minute
4 min @ 7.5 - bumped up to 7.6 for a minute
5 min @ 7.2 - bumped up to 7.4 for the last 2 minutes.
1 min intervals were jogs@ 5.5mph.

Cool down for just under a mile.

Total workout was 10K in 55 minutes.

I'm starting to think I'm reaping some benefits from these workouts! I'm certainly enjoying them!

[IronColl]

Jen Sue and I are running together at 1 MST. So expect a mass update in a couple of hours!

[Hammie]

I will be doing this one over the weekend - I did my tempo run today, but thanks to work and Christmas craziness, my schedule is totally messed up this week!

[Habs4ever]

Jen Sue and I are running together at 1 MST. So expect a mass update in a couple of hours!

We all started within a minute of each other. It was good knowing we were all suffering, err I mean running hard.

I didn't do a ladder with the pace, I kept it even for the "hard" and moderately hard for the "easy". It was tough, but I got it done.
10 minute warm-up at 6mph. Then the work began. Hard was 8 mph and easy was 7 mph, then I ran it out to 60 minutes. Total distance was 7.3 miles. (11.75k). I found the first 4 minute segment the toughest, then after that it was just hard.

There was name calling going on, sort of.

[Jwolf]

Workout done! That was insanely hard.

I did 10 min easy (5.5-6.0 mph) and then started at 7.2 mph for the first 5 min. I increased by 0.1 mph for each one up to the "top" of the pyramid so the 1 minute was 7.6 mph. The "easy" run between had to change to a walk for the first 15-20 seconds of the last few. I was cursing Colleen by the end. But those longer intervals at the end did feel oddly easier as the speed came down.
When I finished I could barely jog the cooldown, but I did manage 5 min easy. So the total was 5.5 miles in 52 minutes.

Tough one but I enjoyed doing it with Colleen and Sue.

[IronColl]

Great job everyone! I was very curious to see what you would do with the workout. What Sue did was actually the closest to what I had in mind (without actually saying anything about it) so points for her. Although she did cuss me so I take them back!

10 min warm up 6:00
5 min 5:29
4 min 5:21
3 min 5:10
2 min 5:00
1 min 4:53 and reverse the same way

all minutes easy were run at 5:43

I ran it out to an hour with Sue but had less than 200m to go to 11k so I finished that in 1:01.

The run was the first one I had done in a week because of being sick and up with sick children, so It was hard, but manageable. It was nice to have the double company today. Thanks J and S!

[Habs4ever]

Sheesh, I get points and lose them in a split second, doesn't seem fair.

[IronColl]

Sheesh, I get points and lose them in a split second, doesn't seem fair.

two words

[Habs4ever]

Sheesh, I get points and lose them in a split second, doesn't seem fair.

two words

I'm thinking they aren't Luv YA!

[IronColl]

Sheesh, I get points and lose them in a split second, doesn't seem fair.

two words

I'm thinking they aren't Luv YA!

guess again

[alexk]

Great stuff, ladies. I was thinking of you when I was suffering, trying to figure out the time difference & if you were suffering alongside me . Somehow it helped, thinking you might be! I agree - that was a tough one. I was a bit tired & on the low end of a too-much-fudge-at-work sugar crash. As such, I had no idea what to expect (or how to pace myself).

Here's how it unfolded:
10 min wu @ 7
5 min @ 8.8
4 min @ 8.9
3 min @ 9.0
2 min @ 9.1
1 min@ 9.2
1 min @ 9.3
2 min @ 9.2
3 min @ 9.1
4 min @ 9.0
5 min @ 8.9

Recovery minutes were @ 7 and I cooled it down @ MP (7.9) to squeeze in 8 miles in under an hour (58:50). I beat last week's time so I was . Rob, if you read this before your run, the paces were good. I found it tough to get used to the quick turnover at first but felt strong once my legs got into a groove. Have fun!

[Jwolf]

Very nice everyone!

I will admit I sort of missed the point of the easy/hard alternation and was thinking more along the lines of actual speed intervals. I probably started a bit too fast-- that made the workout pretty tough with such short recovery, and I needed more recovery during the "easy" minutes. There was no way I could have kept easy-running or even jogging through those minutes and still been able to finish. Oh well-- it's done now!!

[IronColl]

Very nice everyone!

I will admit I sort of missed the point of the easy/hard alternation and was thinking more along the lines of actual speed intervals. I probably started a bit too fast-- that made the workout pretty tough with such short recovery, and I needed more recovery during the "easy" minutes. There was no way I could have kept easy-running or even jogging through those minutes and still been able to finish. Oh well-- it's done now!!

And that's fine. This workout did give everyone a lot of freedom with what they chose to run and what recovery, if any, would be.

This is painting everyone with a broad brush, and I apologize, but it seems that the notion is to plug a pace in and just hold it for whatever the time or distance is. There isn't a lot of people changing their speed mid interval and I wonder why, although I think I know what the type of Answer is. It's not like when we run on the road we are holding the exact pace for every step.

I already have my next turn planned and it will be more clear, and I fully expect the words of the masses to be rolling off my back.

[Jwolf]

This is painting everyone with a broad brush, and I apologize, but it seems that the notion is to plug a pace in and just hold it for whatever the time or distance it. There isn't a lot of people changing their speed mid interval and I wonder why, although I think I know what the type of Answer is. It's not like when we run on the road we are holding the exact pace for every step.

I won't speak for anyone else but here's my answer: When I plan a workout run (vs. an easy run), whether it be on the road or track or treadmill, I do have pace in mind for various intervals. For example on the track I will aim for certain splits and will aim for consistency as the workout progresses. If I can't hold the paces and have to slow down, that means I started too fast. If I plan a workout outside off the track I will pick a flat road or trail to keep things consistent-- and also aim for consistent pacing. So I try to mimic that type of consistency on the treadmill. If I have to slow down as the workout progresses, to me that defeats the purpose-- you should expect the effort to increase as you go, but if you have to slow down it means you're teaching your body to go slower as effort increases. That's opposite of what we want in race. If you're just running on the treadmill to burn calories or do a hard workout, then it doesn't really matter. But that's not how most of us are thinking as runners.

If I'm doing a regular outdoor run I'll run by effort, and yes, my pace changes as the terrain changes. Occasionally I'll do a fartlek-style workout and go by effort, but I don't do many of those. And even on the treadmill if I'm doing an "easy" run, I still don't want to pick a pace that forces me to slow down as I go.

On the treadmill, I don't really like the idea of going by effort because there are no variables other than the speed (assuming you aren't varying the incline) -- and you can control that. If I let myself adjust the speed by effort, it would be too easy to think, "Oh, this is too hard-- I'll turn down the speed."

I realize today's workout wasn't a standard "x minutes at 5K pace" type of workout, and I will admit that made it harder for me to figure out. But I took the liberty of modifying it to fit what worked for me, and that it did.

[alexk]

Jen, I didn't see a right or wrong way to do this run. I liked the flexibility. I saw it as a chance to work some paces I don't often explore. I usually work in the tempo to HMP range. The one thing I love about working in those quicker paces is how easy they make the other paces feel (like MP).

Edit: I wrote this before I read you post above. I agree with you. I try to run paces on the TM that I know I can run outside...and I usually have those paces planned before the workout. If I'm feeling strong, I'll increase the pace. But I usually have a good handle on my current fitness...

[Habs4ever]

Next week is Christmas week so I'll try and post the workout on Sunday so people can adjust their running accordingly.

[RobW]

Great stuff, ladies. I was thinking of you when I was suffering, trying to figure out the time difference & if you were suffering alongside me . Somehow it helped, thinking you might be! I agree - that was a tough one. I was a bit tired & on the low end of a too-much-fudge-at-work sugar crash. As such, I had no idea what to expect (or how to pace myself).

Here's how it unfolded:
10 min wu @ 7
5 min @ 8.8
4 min @ 8.9
3 min @ 9.0
2 min @ 9.1
1 min@ 9.2
1 min @ 9.3
2 min @ 9.2
3 min @ 9.1
4 min @ 9.0
5 min @ 8.9

Recovery minutes were @ 7 and I cooled it down @ MP (7.9) to squeeze in 8 miles in under an hour (58:50). I beat last week's time so I was . Rob, if you read this before your run, the paces were good. I found it tough to get used to the quick turnover at first but felt strong once my legs got into a groove. Have fun!

This week I copied your interval paces (including your added twist). But I did my recoveries at 6 mph and the last recovery was 2 minutes. I wouldn't have been able to finish the workout at 7 mph recoveries. Total run was 8.26 miles in 65 minutes.

[La]

I will admit I sort of missed the point of the easy/hard alternation and was thinking more along the lines of actual speed intervals. I probably started a bit too fast-- that made the workout pretty tough with such short recovery, and I needed more recovery during the "easy" minutes. There was no way I could have kept easy-running or even jogging through those minutes and still been able to finish. Oh well-- it's done now!!

I read it the same way as you did. It was a bit of an experiment for me because I hadn't done intervals like that in a while with such little rest in between. As I said, I found the 3-min interval to be the hardest, since I was increasing the speed as the interval time was decreasing. If I were to do this workout again, I'd likely keep the interval paces the same throughout at about 7.2mph, which would have made the 3-2-1-2-3 intervals more manageable. The other x-factor (for me) was that I was sick, so I don't know if I bonked because of that, or because I chose the wrong starting pace. Probably a bit of both.

IC, even though I'd originally said I felt the workout had a good balance of detail/flexibility, in retrospect it might have been good to have some direction as to whether we should be increasing the pace as the intervals got shorter, or whether we should be keeping them the same. Those are two very different workouts (especially with such short rest in between).