4x300 tempo

Sunny, mid 40ºs with a wind out of the W-SW, sometimes gusty.  I decided not to race on Sunday and keep my nose to grindstone and today was intensive tempo day.  Always a tough one.  But it went well, I 'one up' my self again.

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 2x100

Adidas trainers on

4x300m w/ 3 min rest - 46.63, 48.48, 51.54, 53.78  (50.11 avg)

Hoka trainers on

100m strider ~ 14

Only my 3rd full 4x300 intensive tempo set in a month.  Last one was 10 days ago.  I bettered my avg by 0.45 sec.  My first 300 was ridiculous in 46.6, but it honestly didn't feel that hard.  Until the oxygen debt caught up with me 10 sec after finishing.   Still, it was a monumental act of will to launch into that 4th rep, still recovering from the 3rd.  But, I got it done.  If only I had run that last rep a half second faster, I would have been able to break 50 sec for the avg.  

I ran one last 100m with the carbon fiber insert in my shoe.  While it actually hurt my foot while walking, at sprint it seemed ok.  More testing will be needed to see if it helps.

I can tell I'm crossing into a higher level of fitness as I'm starting to feel the effects of "EPOC" - Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption.  This phenomenon manifests itself 1), in long sprints where it feels pretty effortless to sprint a 200 or 300m, and the heart and breathing rate don't increase until several seconds after the sprint.  That's why I sometimes go out too fast in races and tempo sets, because it feels so easy.  When I'm not in shape, I feel the oxygen debt, high heart rate and breathing during the sprint, usually after 150m.  And 2), this phenomenon contributes to the 'afterburn.'  My resting HR is around low - mid 50s in the morning, but even an hour after a workout, it could still be in the upper 70s and the body continues to burn calories at an accelerated rate.   If I don't eat after a workout (not a good thing to do), I can easily burn off a lb just sitting around for an hour.  I usually at least drink some juice mixed with a vitamin complex and maybe some creatine immediately after training, but still the calorie burn continues.  

I'm finally registered for Poland.  The travel agency screwed up my ticket, causing me to purchase one leg of the flight to replace the one they booked incorrectly.  My itinerary is NOT ideally conducive to athletic performance in that I am arriving the day before I race in the first round.  I usually come a day earlier to get adjusted but I didn't want to miss 2 consecutive Thursdays of teaching.   The opening round should be no big deal to survive, and will serve as a shakeout.  Unfortunately, they'll run a 6 lane one heat final.  I WISH they would do it like NCAA does, with a 2 heat 4 lane final so no one gets relegated to lanes 1 and 2.   The disadvantage of running in lanes 1 and 2 indoors is pretty insurmountable in an elite field.  

139.3 lbs after workout.