The infamous mile repeat.

Distance: 7 miles

miles 1,3,5,7: 6:30 pace
miles 2,4,6: 4:55 pace

Total workout time: 40:40



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I've been exceptionally busy with a roommate's wedding and with packing up and moving out of my apartment the past few days. Hence the lack of posts.

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This workout is from a few days ago. It originally was going to be an easy 7-miler with no special agenda. However, after the first mile I was feeling so good that I decided to turn it into one of most intense workouts of my training regime. While some running models call for mile repeats to be a mile on the track following by about a minute of recovery time before starting the next mile. My mile repeats are a bit of my own rendition. But they do the trick for me.

As the first mile came to a close, it was time to increase my pace to an intensity of 8/9 for the next mile, giving me a mile split of 4:50. Mile 3 was a recovery mile. That is, it's used as a chance to slow your pace, catch your breath, and get ready for the next mile; where you then repeat your previous mile's intensity.

Hence the term 'mile repeat.'

As explanation for the 'infamous' part of this entry's title, a mile repeat workout can be summed up in a few words. Pushing the limits. Intense. Painful.

After mile 3 was behind me, it was time to kick in the afterburners again. Another 4:50 split.

But even during mile intervals, it is crucial to remember that a mile is not just a quick 100 yards, but 5280 feet. It's not a quick sprint, you need to pace yourself during what is still a relatively short distance in comparison to the 26.2 miles awaiting you on race day. If you start your mile too strong, you won't finish it with the intensity you planned.

What's fun (or maybe more 'entertaining' than anything) about the mile repeat is the look on people's faces when you pass by them. As I come down to the final quarter mile of miles 2,4 and 6, my legs are burning, my lungs are ready to give out and my face emanates sheer agony. While I consider this to be 'a good time', most people wonder "why do you do this to yourself?" This was definitely the case at the end of mile 4. I crossed my transitional finish line from hard to easy running and gave out a loud gasp for air... only to realize there's a 50-something year old woman coming around the corner of the trail. She's giving me a horrified look while hoping she isn't witnessing someone having a heart attack. But after a forced smile and slight raising of my right hand, I trot onward and leave her with a mixed sense of relief and "what the heck just happened?"

So after another cycle of this, I'm back home and cooling down after an intense workout. What a better way to start the day's activities. Which involved my best friend's wedding. An epic workout for an epic day.