Another Tuesday another speed workout. Unfortunately last night’s workout was in high heat and humidity which really took a toll. The plan called for 3 x 1.5 miles at 6:00 pace with 400m recovery. Challenging but doable. After a one mile warmup into the Wissahickon I ran the first rep in 8:55, recovered with an easy 2 minutes and then hard again. I wasn’t able to split the miles exactly because the 400 recovery put me between markers so I just hit the split and ran hard for 9 minutes and judged my pace by the intermediate splits. I think I was just about on target.

The second rep hurt a lot more than the first and I knew the last rep was iffy even with a longer, 3 minute, recovery. I made it 2/3 of a mile and at the crest of a small hill I had to take a 40 second walking breather. I started again and hit the last ½ mile in 2:55. I was spent and a little nauseous. I took a long break at the water fountain and ran the 2 miles home at an easy pace. Given the conditions I was happy with the workout.

I have found that I’ve been finishing my runs strongly without giving it much thought. I don’t even think about the hill at Rex Avenue and by the time I get back to my block I feel like I am cruising and itching for a few more miles despite the heat. 8 miles in 58 minutes.