LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in ~1:32:00, 7:40/mi, HR 152, w/ 3.55 mile warmup, 2 x Strides/Drills, 20 x 1 min on, 1 min off Fartleks, 3.25 mile cooldown. 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching. I set out on this run 3 different times and was confronted with hail all 3 times within the first minute or so. Finally just went and thankfully it didn't last too terribly long (and was pretty small). Hit the repeat portion feeling pretty good....that didn't last long. These repeats were hard, I'm guessing because the first 17 were mostly uphill. Even though the grade wasn't too bad, it seems to make a big difference in perceived effort and therefore pace. Last week's 1 min on fartleks in very flat VA felt fast but pretty easy....kept breathing rhythm below the redline and the legs felt okay throughout. Today, legs felt trashed after the first few were done, breathing hit the redline by the 30 sec mark generally, and I flirted with the serious pain zone for most of them. I'm sure the neighbors are all wondering what the heck I was doing out there....my face was likely a reflection of the agony I was feeling, complete with spit and snot on display for emphasis. The cooldown miles were a forced march, fortunately downhill to make them bearable. I guess the good news is that I covered 3.5 miles of distance during the "on" segments this workout, a tad more than the 3.42 I covered on this same workout April 6th. My feet thanked me today. It's been a while since I've worn my lightweight trainers and they felt like cushioned gloves on my feet. They just seem to fit and support in all the right places. | 