A Bit About Interval Runs

My marathon plan calls for 3 runs per week, one of which is an interval run. I used to do these on the treadmill but they are getting longer and the treadmill is just so blah. This morning I did my first outdoor interval run. I’d love to try these on a track, but alas, there isn’t one nearby (I think the closest is on 145th St at Riverbank State Park), perhaps one day I will travel up there for my run, but today was not that day.

After having an internal struggle for about 30 minutes about whether I should stay in bed or get up and go running, I finally made it out the door and headed to Central Park. Today’s agenda called for 5×1200. A 1200 is ¾ of a mile so I set my Nike+GPS to alert me every quarter of a mile. I went at a quick pace for ¾’s of a mile then at that point relaxed my pace for ¼ of a mile. That was one interval; I repeated that 5x.

Interval runs are exhausting! My pace was around 8:22-8:30 for the first 3 of these intervals but slowed closer to 8:40 for the last 2. After my 5th interval I was still a mile from home so did a slower jog to finish out the run.

If you want to challenge yourself on a run in a way other than adding distance, try interval runs, they will make you sweat.

What I Wore: Sugoi Shorts, Gap Fit Top, Asics Gel Nimbus Shoes

What I Listened To: Songza Country Party Starters