Yasso 800s

ORN:  8 miles total, with 10x800m at 4:29 average

Two weeks now since the Illinois Marathon and a few goodies to pass along.  

In my race report, I focused on the struggle with nausea from mile 18 on.  I'm really thinking the humidity had a lot to do with that and probably some less-than-adequate hydration.  

But the good news was the legs.  This was my 16th completed marathon and NEVER have my legs felt so good after 26.2.  Immediately after the race I observed no blisters, cramps, pulls, soreness...nothing.  The next day, I almost forgot I had run a marathon 24 hours earlier.  On Monday, the predicted worst soreness day, there was nothing.  At work, I often have to go up and down two flights of stairs...I did that multiple times that day with no problem, nothing at all to notice.  Amazing.  

I laid off a full week from running, as is my practice.  The following Saturday, I went out for anywhere from 8-12 miles, easy.  Ten miles seemed about right as I worked through it and though the legs were "heavy" there was no discomfort at all.  This was wonderful and a marked contrast from the struggle I had for three weeks following the LA Marathon, just six weeks earlier. 

Encouraged, I turned my attention to the rest of 2010.  I already am signed up for the Chicago Marathon on 10.10.10, but what else?  Spreading out the calendar before me, I decided to register for the Sunburst Half Marathon on June 5.   It will be the sixth year in a row I've run this race which ends at the 50 yard line of Notre Dame Stadium.  Always one to have a plan, I then had to figure out what I'd do between now and June 5 to get ready for what I'm hoping will be a solid race.  

I pulled out Galloway's HM program and saw it called for 10x800m intervals three weeks before race day, 17 miles two weeks ahead and 6x800 a week ahead.  On the calendar it went.

Then it hit me.  Ten 800m repeats is also called the Yasso 800s.  Conceptually, the time in minutes and seconds at which you can hold up 10 half miles is the same time, in hours and minutes, in which you should be able to run a marathon.  I've never done this workout before.  Would it work??  

Today was three weeks before the race, so I gave it a go.  I have no access to a track and detest track running anyway, so I just set my Garmin for 800m runs with a 3 minute recovery and off I went.  Long story short, I tried to keep a consistent 9 minute/mile pace during the runs.  All 10 of the segments were between 4:24 and 4:36, with a 4:29 average.  Particularly during the middle segments, I had to hold myself back.  The last segment didn't feel hard and hit on the average time.  

So, does this mean I can run a 4:30 marathon???  I have a hard time believing it does, as it has been 3+ years since I've done a 4:30.   Nevertheless, it was encouraging to do this just two weeks after a marathon. I welcome any comments from any of you who have done Yasso 800s, as well.  

More to say about the rest of the year's plans, but that will wait.  

Persevere.

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