First Track Workout of 2023: 12x400

After some 2x2 mile intervals on a paved trail a few weeks ago, it was time for some harder work on the track! (In fitting with my "time to start doing shorter/harder workouts" mantra.)

My running team coach posted this on our team page last week, and I figured I'd try that:

The only "change" I was going to make was that I was going to run these faster than my 10K pace. I can run intervals much easier than longer distance runs, so 400s at 10K pace (maybe just under 1:30) would seem pretty easy to me. I wondered if I could start around 1:20/400 and drop a few seconds by the end.

I hit the track before sunrise, and I ran a lap to end my warm up (after running a mile there) just to make sure I was familiar with an "imperfections" on the dark track. I stripped off my mittens and my windbreaker (it was 38 degrees, lightly snowing, and breezy), and was ready to go.

My first 400 was the only time I glanced at my 200 split: I ran through 200 meters right at 0:40, so I figured I'd finish that one in 1:21 or 1:22. It ended up being 1:21. And then that 0:60 rest seemed pretty quick! I didn't think I changed much for #2, but found myself finishing 4 sec faster in 1:17! It was time to see what I could do! My first set of 4 looked like this:

1:21.7, 1:17.2, 1:17.6, 1:18.9 = 1:18.85 ave

I "enjoyed" my 3 minute break as I went to track down one of my mittens (the wind had picked up a little). I was feeling pretty good and was ready to hit the next set:

1:18.9, 1:15.7, 1:16.7, 1:16.2 = 1:16.88 ave

That looked a lot like the first in terms of where I was faster and slower, but I was 2 secs faster overall. Nice! And that 6th 400 being 1:15 was shocking - I figured that pace would be my "balls to the wall" 12th and final interval! Time to suffer for 4 more:

1:17.6, 1:15.3, 1:13.6, 1:15.4 = 1:15.48 ave

That 11th interval at 1:13 KILLED me. I was DONE. Holding on to a final 1:15 was all I could do. Happy with that workout!!

Garmin "map" post run.


Cadence. On "normal" runs I try to get my foot strikes to be up around 180,
but they're higher when I'm running faster (that dot shows 194).


This is what you'd expect to see out of my pace chart.

Getting ready to RACE this weekend! Check back for more on that throughout the week (maybe not until Thursday). Happy Monday!