Strugglin' 200s

Time: 64:31
Distance: 9.10 miles

W/u: 30:11 for 4.14 miles
W/o: 5 x 200 w/ 200 walk/jog recovery. First 100m in 16-17 sec., second 100m all out.
C/d: 25:52 for 3.60 miles

Not sure how you can mess up a 200m workout, but I did. My legs just weren't responsive today despite waiting all day to do this workout and not running a few miles in the morning. Typically after a 200 meter workout I leave feeling fast and fresh. Not so much today. I struggled to hit a respective time.

I jogged the long route from my house over to the newly resurfaced Myers Park High School track. I slipped through the fence and then learned the front gates were wide open as the cross country team had just finished practice. I didn't mess around got things started after a few laps around the track. I picked one of the middle lanes and sorted out my starting mark and shifting gears mark. The purpose of the workout was to run relaxed for 100m (mile pace?) and then blast away down the homestretch. I wanted to take a nice easy walk/jog recovery but after the second interval the maintenance man came to kick me off the track. I yelled back to give me 4 more minutes which he did.

Splits:
(56.59) 30.87, (95) 32.17, (69.88) 32.00, (62.78) 31.36, (65.53) 31.94 for 8:28 total and 5 laps of lane 4 or 5.

Not good, not good. I couldn't turn over for shit this evening. Granted I was running in trainers, but still. I should be able to run 16-17 for the first 100m and come back in 12-14 secs. The splits should have been around the low 30 point mark and I ran a couple of 32s! I guess the legs are telling me something. Too bad because I have a bigger workout on tap tomorrow.

After the workout I had a great chat with John Klein who is the coach of the cross country team. He's former NCAA xc All-American from UNC. He was teammates with one of the store owners that I call on. I stood on the track and we talked running for at least 20 minutes. It was a great time. He mentioned that he used to train with Rick Fuller and Nolan Swanson who I got to meet the summer after my sophomore year when a group of us were living/training out in Eugene, Oregon. Small world.