Une autre jour a Paris

Today's workout was another session of sweet, sweet speed on the Isle de Neilly 400m track. The planned workout was as follows:

2mile warmup

4x (1200m Interval Pace + 800m recovery)

2mile cooldown

Interval pace = 4:10/4:07/4:03/4:00 min/1200m for VDOT's=58/59/60/61 respectively

I have to say, I definitely went into this workout a little cocky. Now, there definitely needs to be a degree of confidence, or swager, in your body (and, more importantly, your head) as you tackle a night of repeats on the track. If you do not have just a little momentum before you even hit the track then I find that the workouts are just a bloody grind. So, I tend to talk things up a little before I even change and get on the track to build a little confidence. Well, I think I did too good of a job (think back to Saturday Night Life skit - "I'm good enough, I'm strong enough, and dog-gon-it, people like me!") because I was certainly surprised by how hard it felt out there tonight! This is me prior to the intervals - although I am quite frightened about the pain I'm about to put myself through, I always got time for the paporazzi!

And, this is me ~ 5m from the end of my last 1200m repeat...so close, yet so far away!

And, at last, this is the final stride. I am hoping that this is what a sub 3-hour marathon looks like! (JD - does this look familiar? (you would know!))

So, here are the actuals:

2mile warmup: 7:24, 7:29 min/mile

4x1200's

1. (79, 80, 80) 3:59min

2. (77, 81, 81) 3:59min

3. (79, 81, 82) 4:02min

4. (80, 81, 81) 4:02min

2mile cooldown: 7:31, 7:28 min/mile

For those of you who are more visual, here is my HR (red) and pace (blue). I certainly work harder each interval just to keep the pace the same as before!

I went out slightly hard and was very happy that I only had to do 4 repeats tonight. I am pretty sure I would have crapped out (like last week) if I had to do a 5th!

After the workout, I was rewarded with this view of La Defense. The square building is the Grande Arche. I take my french classes inside it! My work is just next to the crane.

When I turn around and take a picture in the opposite direction, I have this ugly view of the L'arc de Triomphe!

All in all, another beautiful day in Paris!

Keep it real peeps!