800s Along the River

After skipping a speed workout while on our trip to Mexico because my tummy wasn't being friendly, I finally got out last week for some speed. It was 29 degrees and the trails were clear:

It also said it was "sunny" at 5:09 a.m. in MN in January... Huh??...

I ran half-mile intervals along a flatter section of River Road. I made it a point to not go out TOO easy but to actually challenge myself from the start. I was hoping to keep them under 2:40, so my first 1/4 mile split of 1:21 was OK, and then I THOUGHT I sped up... but finished that first half-mile with a 1:24 1/4 mile. Damn. But I quickly learned that it was SLIGHTLY uphill for my odd intervals, as well as SLIGHTLY into the wind. So numbers 1, 3, and 5 were slower, and 2, 4, and 6 were faster:

1:21 + 1:24 = 2:46.3
2:57 walking
1:14 + 1:19 = 2:34.0
2:45 walking
1:17 + 1:21 = 2:39.1
2:29 walking
1:18 + 1:17 = 2:36.1
2:30 walking
1:20 + 1:22 = 2:42.9
2:27 walking
1:18 + 1:17 = 2:36.1

AVE: 2:39.08 / half mile

I was being worked! Number 5 was pretty disappointing at 2:42, but I was hurting. It wasn't fast, I didn't feel good about myself, but I was happy to have gotten in some speed work.

Running the odds to the NW, and the evens back to the SE.
The blue on either end is walking between intervals.