To Yasso or Not To Yasso?

I've read a bit about Yasso 800s before, but had never tried them, and didn't really know how much stock I put in the idea that you could 'predict' your marathon finish time based on how fast you could run 800m intervals. You could read about them all day long, and never get a definitive answer - some people swear by them, others think it's ridiculous.

I wasn't sure what I thought, but I was curious and wanted to try them, and today was the day.

Unfortunately, I woke up feeling like crap. I've had a head cold for almost two weeks, and it's not enough that I feel really sick, but it's enough to make me a little rundown and certainly enough to be a real nuisance, with the constant congestion and coughing. This morning was actually the worst I've felt, though, and I was really wondering if I was going to run today at all, never mind run a track workout.

As I got up and got moving, though, the fog lifted, and after breakfast I was feeling almost normal (save for the ever-present congestion).

I was not, however, feeling at all motivated. I had read a little more about the Yasso 800s last night, and went to bed feeling so excited to get my workout in, but that excitement and motivation seemed to have vanished overnight.

On the drive to the gym, I kept a running commentary of pep talks going through my head, chief among them being the reminder that if I want to run a good race on April 14th, I've got to put in the work. There's just no way around it.

And miracle of miracles, once I got outside and started moving, my motivation returned. I headed up to my neighborhood track, and got ready.

The theory behind this workout is that you run each 800m interval in the number of minutes/seconds equal to what you hope your marathon finish time will be - for me, that meant running each interval in 3:35.

The first one came in right around 3:30, and I was thrilled. The second one was 3:25. Even better. Third one - 3:23. Fourth one - 3:17! I was really starting to wonder if my Garmin was working correctly. Was I really running 800m intervals at this pace? I worried a bit that I was going too fast, and I'd pay dearly for it on the last few repeats, but at the same time, I felt like if I slowed down, it would feel too easy.

Track workouts are supposed to be hard. They're supposed to push you, and make you count the steps until each repeat is over. So I kept at it, and the rest of the intervals (5 more of them) all came in at 3:23 or faster. The only one that really, really sucked was the 9th one. I was still able to finish it at the same pace, but it hurt a lot more than the previous 8 did.

So, what does this mean in terms of my predicted time for Gansett?  Probably not a lot. I know full well that I am not prepared to run a 3:25 marathon - that's a sub-8:00 mile, for 26.2 miles. I'm just not there (yet).

I think this is an interesting theory, and I think it's a great workout, but I think it's impossible to base a marathon finish time on any one particular workout.

However, based on all my other training runs thus far, and the racing that I've done recently, I do think that a 3:35 marathon is actually a somewhat realistic goal for me right now, and doing my Yasso 800s in 3:25 does give me an extra boost of confidence that I can get to the 3:35 goal.

And it makes me feel much more certain that chances are very good that when I cross the finish line in Gansett, the first two numbers on the clock will both be 3. And that will make me a very happy runner : )

Comments

[Laura]

Great job on the 800's!! I'm hoping for a 3:35ish marathon too... sounds like you're well on your way!

[Wes]

excellent work. what really matters is what you think about your fitness after doing the 800s. If you believe, you will achieve, but you still have to execute.

[Michelle]

Thanks, Laura - I should have referred to it as 3:35 "ish," because that's the way I think of it, too - I like to give myself a little leeway : ) Hope you get there, too!!!

[Michelle]

So true, Wes. I believe, and I will execute : )