800 Repeats..Repeat after me...this is not easy

Of the three triathlon disciplines, my least favorite is running.  No surprise for someone built for comfort and not for speed like I am but after a disappointing sprint triathlon this weekend, it was time to get serious about my weaknesses.  I met Hector at Howard Middle School where we discussed my running issues and then we addressed them.

"We are going to do 8 - 800 repeats with 30 seconds of recovery between each set." he told me.  I thought, "Ok..how hard can this be..right?"

OMG!!!  Are you kidding?  This was B*&^CH.  First lap around the track was suppose to be at endurance pace while the second was suppose to be at a quicker tempo.  For someone who truly believes she has only ONE speed, understanding the difference between "endurance pace" and "10k pace" is something that has to be learned.  I just couldn't get it.  I tried to listen to my body but my times around the track were all over the place.  My first lap was way too fast...second a little too slow.  30 seconds rest.  Second set...again..first lap too fast...but second lap was where it should be.  By the 7th repeat, I was begging for mercy.  My heart rate was in zone 4 of 5 and I was whipped.  I did prove that I can run a lot faster mile than I thought but this workout was tough.  

Couple this day with a morning open water swim at Lucky's (www.luckyslakeswim.com) and it made for a challenging day of training.  The hours of training are starting to increase (I have 18 hours this week) and I am starting to feel the difficulty of getting two workouts in almost every day.  I keep telling myself that this is just a season of my life.  Just 17 weeks!! YIKES!