Last Wednesday’s speed workout with Saratoga Stryders was a doozy.
1X 400 warmup
2X 400 at mile race pace
4X 800 at interval pace
2X 400 at mile race pace
With a 400 easy after each hard effort, it added up to nearly six miles. By the second 800, everyone in my pace group looked dazed and exhausted. As we finished the last 400, one of my running buddies sighed, “Well, that’s a good one to have in the books.”
That’s the beauty of doing hard workouts: We get race-day confidence by having them in the books. I experienced that first-hand on Sunday morning, at the Help a Homeless Veteran 5K in Saratoga Spa State Park. It was hilly, and I hadn’t raced a 5K in longer than I can remember, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, time-wise. I did know, courtesy of workouts like the one above, that I could hold on to tempo pace for quite a while, so I focused on staying steady on the uphills and pushing hard on the flats.
Post-race at the Help a Homeless Veteran 5K at Saratoga Spa State Park Sept. 29, 2013.
I crossed the finish line in 27:10, or 8:48-minute miles. It didn’t break any records, personal or otherwise, but I felt strong at the finish—like maybe I could push harder next time, knowing that effort is in the books.
Amy Reinink 
Not too shabby, Amy! Your posts on joining up with groups in your new community are making me think I ought to join a weekly “track workout” group.