I’m totally recovered and ready to go! Marathon week 4 is off to a great start, and it feels wonderful to be back on a normal workout schedule.
Monday evening I met a couple of teammates for an easy 40-minute run. We kept a quick, but relaxed, pace. We ended up with just under 4 miles, and the cooler temps made the run so nice.
Tuesdays are speed work, and I was so eager to get started. I have a sick love for track work. I’m not really sure why, because I am not actually fast, but something about pushing the limits and being able to so easily measure progress makes me happy.
Tonight’s track work was 18 minutes at Lactate Threshold – 8:15 to 8:30 for me. It doesn’t sound that hard, but when my normal mile pace is closer to 10:00, sustaining 8:15 for over two miles is an effort. Luckily, the weather has cooled a little bit, and two weeks of rest gave me motivation to push it. We had lots of kids cheering us on, too, which helped a lot!
Unfortunately, I started out a bit too fast and decided to maintain the faster pace, so I ended up doing the 18 minutes at an 8:03 pace. A 10-minute warmup and 10-minute cooldown rounded out the workout. 
Do you enjoy speed work or dread it?
you are insane. you are awesome. i’ll stand on the sidelines and hand you gatorade, ok?
Deal! I’ve heard you’ve been up to some insane awesomeness too!