Run Intervals and a Mix of ISOs

Will would have approved of today's run workout: 1 hour run, with at 10 minutes, 4×6 minutes Z4 @ 2 minutes jog. Here's what I did last week (7-14-09):

• Totals: 43:03, 593 cals, 5.00 miles, 8:37 pace, 165 HR
• Warm up: 10 min, 1.10 mi, 9:06 pace, 145 HR
• Lap 1: 6 min, 0.82 mi, 7:20 pace, 172 HR, 6:06 best pace; Rest 0.18 mi, 160 HR
  
• Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 176 HR, 6:18 best pace; Rest 0.16 mi, 160 HR
  
• Lap 3: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:30 pace, 179 HR, 5:57 best pace; Rest 0.17 mi, 163 HR
  
• Cool down: 9:03, 0.97 mi, 9:21 pace, 173 HR

Today I wanted to go out and run as hard as I could. Will's been encouraging me to do so, to forget about speed and HR, so that's what I was thinking about. Plus I knew that I had reached the 0.80 mark for each interval last week, so I wanted to surpass that.

• Totals: 1:00:00, 887 cals, 7.44 miles, 8:04 pace, 178 HR
• Warm up: 10 min, 1.18 mi, 8:31 pace, 156 HR
• Lap 1: 6 min, 0.90 mi, 6:42 pace, 183 HR, 6:00 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
• Lap 2: 6 min, 0.80 mi, 7:28 pace, 183 HR, 6:19 best pace; Rest 0.22 mi, 180 HR
  
• Lap 3: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:12 pace, 186 HR, 6:21 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 180 HR
• Lap 4: 6 min, 0.83 mi, 7:15 pace, 187 HR, 6:22 best pace; Rest 0.21 mi, 184 HR
  
• Cool down: 18 min, 2.06 mi, 8:45 pace, 180 HR
  

OK, EVERYTHING was faster and farther. Hooray! It felt really good, although I was definitely tired when the final interval came up and I had to push myself to finish strong. It's interesting that my best pace isn't faster but I surpassed my previous distances; that tells me that I was running much more consistently during those 6 minutes rather than surging and slowing and surging and slowing.

Then I went into the Y to do another workout that Will would have approved of. Oh, wait. He made it. I wished he were there to push me and make sure I was doing it right.

• 5 barbell squats (65 lb) and 50 full-body shudders, emphasizing lats and glutes; repeat both together 5 times: I did the barbell squats with the correct amount of weight, trying to think about using my glutes and hamstrings while keeping good form. I think I succeeded—I was in front of the mirror. Then I went in to the Cardio Cinema where the lights were off and no one could see what I was doing for the shudders. That's where I really wished Will were there. I don't know whether I succeeded here. I was definitely not as taxed as I thought I should have been.
• 3 bench press (65 lb), 3 bentover row (65 lb), 1 minute scap pull up, 1 minute preacher curl (light bar); repeat all together 5 times: Bench press: check. Bentover row: check (with a 60-lb bar. It was that or 70 and I thought that would be too much). Scap pull up: c (I could only do this on the first set, because every other time someone was using the pull up machine). Preacher curl: check (with a 30-lb bar. I don't know if my light bar and Will's light bar are the same "light").

It felt good. I was ready for supper!