Gym Christmas Day 6

Gym Christmas Day 6!

Work out: 4-ish miles of speed work, including warm up and cool down. 

• A little over a mile warm up
• 6 X 400 meters at 2:10
• 90 second recovery interval
• A little under a mile cool down

I'm never sure of the total mileage, but it took about 41 minutes. 

I've slowed my 400s down to 2:10, instead of 1:58 or 2:00, in order to focus on form. Speed work outs are actually the easiest on my foot, probably because my form is actually good. Now that I've realized that it's easier to run with proper form when running a bit faster, I've modified my running plan for December: no long runs. I want to do 3-4 mile runs for the rest of the month to give myself time to make those form changes into an actual habit. Three to four miles seems to be the limit of how long I can sustain the right form, in part because I'm not yet strong enough, and also because it's mentally taxing. Meanwhile, my speed work outs will get longer, and I'm cross training a lot. This kind of change is a nice break from training for races, and I know my foot appreciates it.

GYMGO: Socialcize! John and I warm up and cool down together, and we run different intervals on the same track. So close, GYMGO, so close.

Photo: I actually took this sort of crappy photo last night, when we had the Hottie Black-Eyed Peas and Greens for dinner, with mashed sweet potatoes with apple and ginger on the side. I definitely went back for seconds on the black-eyed peas, which, btw, are very simple to make. So far I'm enjoying Appetite for Reduction.*

*I know I'm always on about how great everything from the PPK is, including the books. And I thought I might as well say, lest you get the wrong impression, that I do not get paid or compensated in any way to talk about them. I am just obsessed with their recipes, books, and general website. If Isa Chandra wanted to pay me to review her recipes, that would be just fine.