Day 2,739: 12 x 1/4-mile intervals (Week 2)

Earlier this year, I started the half marathon program late and entered training after the speed phase. Today was the first speed session of my life -- 12 quarter-mile intervals at race pace.

It felt like training for a strafing sortie -- you do a warmup run to your training location and then run a quarter mile at race pace, then jog a quarter mile. Repeat 12 times and then return back to base.

I chose Piedmont Park since it would be a place where I could run and not worry about cars. I thought about running in the bowl near Park Tavern but at the last minute decided on the stretch on the south side of the pond.

Although I dreaded doing anything 12 times in a row, it sort of became routine, running to the same place and back over and over again. Although I don't like running on tracks, I can see how this would help, since it was actually easier to run faster when there was a runner ahead instead of having to do the distance by yourself.

Back home I was pretty happy with my time, which does seem to be in line with my 5K times.

Time: 6:38 a.m.

Temp: 70 degrees

Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Asics blue, shorts, Skechers Go Run 2).