Steve in a Speedo?! Gross!: March 2025

The end of last week had some good workouts. Thursday was a beautiful day for a nice ride, and then Friday was a great morning on the track.

I knew I wanted to something FAST for my bike ride - I've been focusing on getting in more and more miles over the last few years, but I can't stop trying to go HARD. I thought about my "go to" tempo loop, but I wasn't ready to deal with some of those rough/gritty roads, and I also like to do that loop when it's really early (out of the question on this day that started chilly, so I waited until later in the day to ride). So I hit the Greenway Trail for a 4x4 mile workout. I like to do 5-mile efforts, but with some construction right in the middle of a good stretch of the Greenway, I did just 4 miles (from the Sabo Bridge right up to the edge of the construction):

Hiawatha just through the Lakes for #1 and #3,
and Lakes to Hiawatha for #2 and #4.

I didn't realize there was a slight breeze FROM THE EAST when I started - I kinda hoped that I was just really fast. But I learned that wasn't true when I started interval #2.

#1: 10:29, 22.8 mph (22.9 halfway)

#2: 11:46, 20.4 mph (20.4 halfway)

#3: 10:17, 23.3 mph (22.9 halfway)

#4: 11:42, 20.4 mph (20.8 halfway)

I like to note what my average is half-way through each interval, and that led to some interesting stats in #3 and #4. In the third, I had the same average half-way through as my first, but then I "put the hammer down" to finish that one 0.5 mph faster than the first! But in the final interval, I was quite a bit faster at the half-way point compared to #2, but I ended with the exact same overall average because I was DEAD - I had no power left to climb up the Sabo Bridge to finish!

Speed...

... and with the 4-mile intervals highlighted.

Then the next day, I hit the track. My legs were HEAVY from the start after that bike workout the day before - I hadn't biked like that anytime this year yet. My hammies were fine, but my quads and butt were slightly sore and tired. I didn't know what to expect for this workout, but figured it could be a good effort on heavy legs. (I often ease up a bit on workouts right before track workouts, but NOT THIS TIME.)

I did 4x800 with 2:00 rest, then 4x400 with 1:00 rest. And WOOOOOOO BOY... that 1:00 rest for the last half of the workout is ROUGH.

Lots of laps.

Walking around between the intervals at the start/finish line.

My opening 800 wasn't as fast as I had hoped, but I was able to keep that as my slowest. I felt like I just couldn't quite hit my top gear in any of my 800s - I wasn't able to get my legs moving quite like I felt they could. But then in the 400s, I was happy with those times! I was able to suffer through those single-lap intervals, but couldn't keep the pace up like I wanted to for the 2-lap intervals.

1:20 + 1:19 = 2:40.4
1:18 + 1:18 = 2:37.5
1:20 + 1:17 = 2:37.6
1:18 + 1:16 = 2:35.6

1:13.4
1:13.0
1:12.8
1:12.1

Ave of 1:37.78 / 800 and 1:12.83 / 400

This time, my 800s and 400s were both FASTER than when I did this workout 3 months ago, and my 400s were faster than when I did them last May. In fact, it was my fastest 400s ever for this workout!

Trying to keep this speed work going to try to get into good shape for the upcoming race season!!

A week ago, my boys had a chilly (19 degree) 5K in Minneapolis! They weren't planning to break any speed records as they haven't been running at all, but they were ready to have a good time with their cousins:

My boys and their cousins!
Under the Hennepin Ave Bridge!

The Moms (sisters) did it too!

Wes, Evie (behind Wes), Charlie, and Sarah (behind Charlie) just after starting!

Runners heading down River Parkway after starting!

I walked across the Mississippi to the finish line on the other side. The winner finished just over 16:00! Jon (my brother-in-law) and I waited for our crew at the finish. Henry was the first to come through: