We have wonderful high-tech gadgets that improve our abilities to train smarter and more efficiently. Of course, all of that is dependent on whether we actually use them correctly. Sometimes that's the most difficult thing.
Last Thursday, I was supposed to swim a set of 5 x 200 with each 200 a bit different from the previous: #1 was IM drill; #2 was breast 100 fast, 100 easy; #3 was free DPS; #4 was back focusing on kick; and #5 was 200 IM fast. For the last one, Ashley said that she was going to time me. Since she didn't have an hour-glass, I assumed that she would be using her stopwatch. She even mentioned that she would start her watch when my feet left the wall. So, off I went, going as fast as I could. When I finally touched the wall for the final time and looked up, Ashley was talking to some of the kids. I had a sinking feeling about this. She then wandered over to me and apologized that she never started her watch. Oh well. I know slow... and my 200 IM was just that.
On Sunday, I was supposed to run 3 x 1 mile at Z4, which for me is currently 7:12. The first thing I realized when I figured out my paces was that my current threshold pace is slower than I used to do my JRA runs back when I was in college. Of course, that was many moons and miles ago. Anyway, when I got through with my warm-up, I pushed the "Start" button on my watch. Now, if you have a Garmin 310, you know that the "Start/Stop" button is different from the "Lap" button. And since I had already started my watch for my warm up, I should have pushed the "Lap" button. I had looked down at my watch just before I started the interval, and it was at 1.65 miles; after a time and distance that I thought was a lot longer than 0.35 miles (when the watch should have beeped and vibrated), I realized that I had stopped my watch rather than started the 2nd lap. The wind was out of my sails, and I slowed to a jog, knowing that I had not run a mile, but figured I should just regroup and press onward. My next two intervals were 6:58 and 6:54 if you believe Garmin Connect. If you believe WKO+/TP, they were 7:13 and 7:24. Since my RPE was closer to the 6:5x pace, I'm using those numbers.
Also on Sunday, I tried out the Saucony Kinvaras for the first time. While they didn't feel bad and were definitely light, they still don't feel as responsive as the Newtons. Try as I might to find shoes that feel as responsive as the Newtons, I have not been able to do so. It's interesting. I was ready to have a bouncy run on Sunday in new shoes, and it didn't happen. I am now convinced more than ever that Newtons just feel different from other shoes... in a good way.
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