Need for Speed V

Ugh. It's snowing again. A nice sideways blizzard going on as I type. I've been seeing lots of global warming reports these days and the possible climate in the U.S. in, say, 50 years. There's talk of raised temperatures in the South and Southwest, increased hurricane activity, and near dust bowl conditions in the Plains states making life there plenty uncomfortable. The irony is that all the folks that have moved South due to the weather may soon be flocking back to the Midwest and Northern states for the same reason. I doubt that will happen. But an interesting thought. I doubt people will ever give up the sun and ocean as long as there are sturdier homes to build and bigger air conditioners to buy.

On to the running update. Yesterday, a return to some speed work!

Goal: 5 miles with each under 7 minutes.

I've decided to wait until after Bayshore before I start doing my speed work on a formal track in intervals. Instead, I approach my speed training fartlek style. I do about 1/2 mile at a brisk but comfortable pace followed by 1/2 mile at sustained, uncomfortably fast pace.

5.0 miles
33:02 time
6:36 pace

Mile 1: 6:31
Mile 2: 6:45
Mile 3: 6:39
Mile 4: 6:46
Mile 5: 6:21

Mission Accomplished (and not the standing-on-the-deck-of-an-aircraft-carrier style but actual mission accomplished)!!

I'll update soon with my read of Bascomb's The Perfect Mile which chronicles the race to become the first person to break the 4 minute mile barrier between Australia's John Landy, Englishman Roger Bannister, and America's Wes Santee. So far, pretty interesting to read what these guys would put themselves through just to shave an extra second off their time.

And the fact that these guys would run hard 50-60 mile weeks in shoes that were little more than strips of leather with string around them and small spikes glued to the bottom really makes me feel pampered in my Asics.