Time: 71:12
Distance: 10.44 miles
W/u: 24:23 for 3.20 miles
W/o: 10 x 800 in 2:20-2:25 w/ 30 sec. rest
C/d: 18:03 for 2.24 miles
This is the real post about my workout. The other was simply to live in the moment.
I had emailed Jeff earlier in the week asking if the 30 second rest was a typo and he informed me that 30 seconds was correct. The workout itself mirrored Yasso 800s which is a good predictor workout for marathon runners. However, with Yasso 800s you get equal rest to the time you run the 800s. That certainly isn't the case with Gaudette 800s.
I warmed up from the Johnson C. Smith track and learned that there really isn't a good place to warm up from the facility. Normally, I make a few loops around the track and pass the time on the infield grass. Due to the rainfall yesterday the grass was soaked and I opted to find some miles on the road. I managed to put in over 20 minutes before getting back to the track.
Jenna Wrieden, assistant coach at Queens University, was at the track for the sprinters' workout this afternoon. I timed my workout to coincide with their presence. I find that I run better when there are other people on the track with me, even if they aren't doing the same workout. When I told Jenna about my workout was, she responded with a laugh. That's basically how I was feeling heading into it. I didn't necessarily think the splits and rest were unrealistic, but I thought it was going to be one of those efforts where you run fine for the first 4 intervals and it goes downhill from there. I figured this might be one of those workouts where you either end up lengthening the rest or running slower intervals. I approached the workout with confidence, but there are always a few doubts...
Splits:
2:22.71, (31), 2:25.47, (31), 2:25.26, (29), 2:25.06, (30), 2:25.32, (30),
2:25.55, (31), 2:25.15, (31), 2:26.70, (31), 2:25.55, (30), 2:23.53 for 28:46 total (including rest).
Very pleased with this workout. I managed to stay relaxed through half of the workout. I needed to focus on running intervals 6, 7 and 8 well and I knew I could finish the last couple strong. Thirty seconds rest is not a lot of time. On the last 4 intervals I had just enough time to slow my momentum, walk past the line, take a deep breath and get started again.
I'm not exactly sure what this workout says about my marathon potential. To be honest, running 2:22 to 2:25 isn't that hard in terms of getting the legs to turnover. I've always questioned the Yasso 800 predictor workout and find it hard to believe that it works beyond a certain time. Could Geb, Wanjiru or Hall go out and run 2:05s with 2 mins rest for 10 x 800? I'm not sure, but probably. Where does the predictor fall short? How do you get it back on track? Could Geb, Wanjiru or Hall run 10 x 800 in 2:05 w/ 30 secs rest? Who knows. Regardless, an athlete knows when he/she has run a quality workout and that is all that is necessary for boosting their confidence going into a race.
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2 comments:
Jordan, you raise a very interesting question in your analysis of the workout. I’ve met Bart Yasso once and had the pleasure of speaking to him in-depth about the “Yasso 800’s”.
What I found interesting was the reasoning behind his prediction model of Yasso 800’s and marathon finishing time. Specifically, there was no scientific data that showed, physiologically, why the Yasso 800’s would be a predictor of marathon time. Instead, he just noticed that in most of the runners he had coached over the years, there was a correlation between the workout and marathon finishing time. It is important to remember that correlation and causation are two different things and that one does not cause the other. This is the real basis behind quantitative research methods. Often times we find that there is a high correlation between all kinds of unexpected variables. For example, a study confirmed that that the total US highway fatality rate perfectly correlates to the number of fresh lemons imported from Mexico (full study here). Does this mean that the number of lemons imported from Mexico is causing highway fatalities? I doubt it, but there is certainly a correlation.
Getting back to the Yasso 800’s and their prediction of marathon finishing times. What is important to remember about training is that the focus should be on the physiological progression and adaptation we’re trying to induce by running a particular workout. Specifically, how that workout addresses the physiological challenges of a race. Like we’ve discussed, the real issue with the marathon is fuel; the total amount consumed and the efficiency at which your body uses your available stores. The Yasso 800’s strike me as a VO2 max type of workout because they contain an equal amount of rest between intervals, which would suggest that you are fully recovered before starting the next repeat. From my limited “lab work” understanding of VO2 max, an increase in VO2max is not correlated with an increase in fuel consumption efficiency. That’s not to say that VO2 max workouts don’t have their place in marathon training. (I do think that VO2 max increases your level of fitness and the speed at which you can run, which would in turn make running at marathon pace “easier”).
I will admit that the Yasso 800’s may also be a better predictor for an “average” runners fitness than an elite or very good marathoner’s fitness because VO2 max pace for 800 meters of most 3:30 to 5 hour marathoners is probably very close to 4 minutes for an 800, give or take. Whereas Hall, Geb, and Wanjiru have a VO2 max 800 meter pace closer to 2:00 – maybe faster, I really don’t know
What is inherently difficult about predicting marathon fitness from workouts is this issue of fuel. It is very difficult to simulate the last 10k of a marathon in training. Like we discussed, in a marathon cycle, a better prediction of marathon success is looking at the training from a macro perspective. While I won’t draw any conclusions about your fitness from that one workout, the total amount of work you’ve put in over the last 4-5 weeks has been tremendous. As you know from looking at the training, the real bread and butter is in the marathon specific stuff you’ll be doing in the next 3 or 4 weeks; especially the long stuff where we specifically target the fuel issue.
Anyway, there is 2 plus feet of snow here in Maryland today and I need a break from reading school work. If any of the other readers of this blog want to add their comments or chime in with their take, I always love a good discussion on training theory.
P.S. Big congrats to your lady friend on her 16:54 5k this weekend
I disagree with Jeff. Clearly, the lemons imported from Mexico have a direct causal effect on highway fatalities. If we want safe highways, we need to ban the import of Mexican lemons.
Bah, don't get me started on lemons.
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