VFAC Thursday - 1, 2, 2, 1

Last night was a warm one. With Vancouver hitting record temperatures of 30+ degrees throughout the week, I was actually looking forward to being out and running sans shirt. There is something freeing about running a hard workout with teammates, baking in the evening heat, sweating out the work day.

We jogged over to Beaver Lake and found out from John that tonight was going to be the infamous, 1k, 2k, 2k, 1k. Beaver Lake is an almost perfect 1k loop of a lake in Stanley Park. It is hard pack gravel, with a few turns and a few slight grades. It is a favourite workout venue for many of the faster runners in Vancouver as you are able to accurately judge distance and the surface is forgiving on the joints.

I was not sure of what to expect going into the workout. The first two days after the Iron Knee I was walking with a noticeable limp due to the twisted foot I suffered on the final (long) descent into the finish. But with lots of icing and traumeel, my run Wednesday felt very normal. I was pleased about the healing, so I think that the two days of forced rest allowed for a mini-taper for the workout.

The last time I did this workout, it was the first one back from my December injury. The April workout had me running a very well paced workout of 3:13, 6:43, 6:43, 3:13. I was pleased with that workout coming back as it demonstrated that I still had some residual speed in the legs. This, however, has never really been an issue. The short and fast has always been a strength; it is the long and fast that has been the concern.

Last night's workout was a great barometer of my fitness since April. In the last 8 weeks I have seen some significant growth in my running. When Coach John told Peter and me that we were to go 2:55 and 6:10 for the workout, we thought he was a little bit crazy, but his crazy always seems to be pretty much bang on. Peter and I ran the first 1k in 2:57. I am not sure the last time I went under 3:00 for 1k workout, but to do it on the first interval was good, but I was worried about how I would hold up. Turns out I shouldn't have. The first 2k went great as I negative split the loops and ran a 6:08, followed up by a tougher 6:14. On the last 1k my goal was to stay as close to Jay as possible. This strategy was a good one for as he went through the loop in 2:48, I was dragged along for a 2:55 - right on Coach John's predictions. I was definitely pleased to be able to run my fastest loop on the last interval, but also that it wasn't killing me. I never lost form or control. My mantra, which I took from a Kenyan or Ethiopian coach, was fulfilled - run fast, not hard.

A great workout with great running teammates on a great night. Nothing like a little injury to give you a taper into a workout. Tonight's run was a little heavy, but I churned out the 10k and got the miles in. I am now playing with the idea of running a 10k next Friday evening, but I am not sure about it as it is about a $40 entry and that is a little steep for me as a new homeowner. And nothing says new homeownership like a trip to Ikea, which is where I just got home from. Do you know that they have toilet brushes for a dollar? A dollar! Crazy.