The Mammoth Dream

Holiday Workouts

Holiday Workouts

Holiday Workouts

Dec 22, 2011 by Scott Bauhs
Holiday Workouts
The holidays are a great time of the year. I can't wait to spend time with family and eat good food. I love seeing the world around me decorated with holiday cheer and other than people frantically shopping for last minute gifts, everyone seems relaxed and in good spirits due to some well earned time off of school and work.

Over the past few years the holidays are also a time where my workouts magically transform from miserable to good in what seems like over night. While looking at my training plan will show you that I have followed a pretty steady improvement curve since I resumed my training in late October, it doesn't always feel like that.

Generally there is one defining workout somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas where I finish it and say "wow, that didn't suck." That moment came a few weeks ago with a solid 12 by 1000m workout split up into 3 sets of 4 by 1000m with 1 minute rest between intervals, 3 minutes rest between sets, where Pat Smyth and I averaged around 2:53 seconds per interval at close to 5000' of altitude.

Since then I have run 5 by 2000m averaging 6 minutes per interval with 2 minutes rest, a 10 mile tempo averaging a bit under 5 minute pace, and a great workout in San Diego yesterday with Pat where we ran 3 miles in just over 15 minutes, 2 miles in 9:20, 2 by 1 mile in 4:30 and 4:27, and 2 by 800 in 2:08 and 2:06 with 4 minutes rest after the 3, 3 minutes rest after the 2, and 2 minutes rest after that. In addition to that I've done two 20 milers, a 22 miler and I am about to do a 20 miler on Saturday all while averaging 110 miles per week.

This has been the best December training of my life and I am definitely looking forward to the Houston half marathon followed by a great year.

Happy Holidays everyone!