speedwork

Hopefully I didn't stray too far from the recommended beginner pose workout, but I managed to get in some speedwork today. I did all the drills that I usually do, and then took my shoes off for my barefoot run. I was having an especially difficult time doing all the pose stuff at a slow pace. So halfway through my first lap, I figured I would just run a lap at a time, resting in between. The more I thought about my form, the faster my cadence and pace were. On my second lap, after resting, the wheels started coming off at 300 meters. The whole thing kind of evolved into 2 x 400, 300, 200, with as much recovery as I wanted. My hammies were very tired and heavy by the time I was done.

Yesterday I just did my drills, no grass running. Both today and yesterday I felt like a much different runner. I'm pretty sure I'm running exactly like Michael Johnson, if you can imagine a slower, female, Eurasian Michael Johnson. I'll let everyone know as soon as I confirm that with the video. Seriously though, my form feels much different than it used to. It feels like someone else's running form.

I'm content with my progress, because my shins feel fine most of the time, (they're like a barometer for bad form; I just start pulling quickier and the pain goes away.) But I have these moments of mental panic when I start thinking about how I can't seem to maintain good Pose form and run at a slower pace. I start thinking about how I'll just have to become a quarter miler or maybe eke out a half. Can you run the half on no training slower than a tempo pace? (Actually, I'm not so sure I can maintain good form at my old tempo pace either.) I realize that I haven't been at this Pose thing for too long, and a little patience is probably in order, but when am I going to learn to run slow?