Sounds like you had a great time. Doing intervals is a very invigorating workout. It would have been good experience to get to the 800s, but that probably will happen next time. Try to do all of a particular length at the same speed. You would like the last to be the same speed as the first.

I did 6 or 7 400s. The first two rounds were fast for me 2:00 and 2:10 from then on out I petered out and ran consistently 2:30. I was still happy with that. But I was excited with how I did and just had to share with you all. It also happened to be my first training run with a group. Not bad - it helps pass the time.

Tekno,

Len makes a very good point about staying consistent with the split times. The recommendation is no more than 1 - 2 seconds of variance between the different split times. Trying to run each one as fast as you can could burn you out for your next scheduled run. And having a split time for your last few that is 10 - 15 seconds slower than the first couple is also counterproductive to your training because it will not allow your body to adapt properly to being able to run faster. If I may ask, how did you determine the pace for your 400 and 800 splits? Did the coach customize the workouts for everyone or did he/she just say "Go for it"? I'm thinking it might be a little more realistic to set those splits up based on a specific time from a race you have recently completed. That way, it's more tailored to your current ability. For example, my splits for all the diffferent intervals (400, 800, etc) are based on my last 5K time. They are challenging for me, but they are no doubt much slower than Jimmy or Charlie, who would be on their second beer by the time I cross the finish line in a 5K race. Good luck with the rest of your training. Talk to you soon.

Karl

The McMillan link is very good. They line up pretty closely with the splits that I figured out using the Furman FIRST program. Click on the link Charlie gave you and try using those for a couple of speed workouts. If you can get through the entire routine in addition to the other training runs for that week without much difficulty for two weeks in a row, then you can probably get a little more aggressive and shave off 4-5 seconds per interval and see how that feels. That will probably give you a pretty challenging level of intensity without burning you out or increasing the chance of injury. I like doing interval work. It's definitely a nice change of pace (no pun intended). Talkt to you soon.

Karl

Tech:

Speed work? Where and with whom? Towson? Bel Air/Fallston?

A buddy & I might start speed work training on Friday evenings -- tough since most people do LSDs on Saturdays (and I'm also playing baseball on weekends).