A workout that definitely took me out of my comfort zone. This is the kind of workout that I stopped doing during the colder weather (temps in the lower 20s)  a few years ago. I found that when I ran faster in those conditions I ended up with more muscle strains and niggles that didn’t seem to go away.

Today was one of those wonderful late Fall days where while the sun was shining brightly, the temps were still in the low 20s. When you add in a 6-10 mph breeze out of the North, it was rather chilly.

My RC workout was a couple of miles warm-up and then 6 x 800 (0.5 miles) Fartlek, with 3:00 minutes rest between the faster stuff. Then a mile cool-down. It was a busy morning, so I decided not to get into Town and did the workout out front. It ended up 7.0 miles of laps and I didn’t really even feel bored about all those laps.

I did a pre-run warm-up and then the 2.0 miles on the road.

My 800s were all between 3:45 and 3:50, so I was consistent on the faster portion and was surprised at how well I paced them. However, they were not consistent when I was doing them and they were about as fast as I would want to run in those temps. Actually, about as fast as I would want to run .5 fartleks right now regardless of the weather.

I did cut the last mile short, I had gone over 7.0 miles and I could feel myself cooling off too quickly, so I decided enough was enough and went inside to get warm again.

Great workout and I am happy with how I did.

It was a tough workout and one that I am glad that I did it. The Runner’s Connect training plan is definitely taking me out of my comfort zone, which is what I wanted. However, the paces are not impossible to complete, merely difficult to achieve unless you work hard. Which is definitely something different for me.

Although in the future if the temps are under 20F I will most likely hit the elliptical and do a modified workout on that. Especially, on those days when footing sucks.

Come with me now — the best is yet to be.