1st experience with Endless Relays

This is the track work details I receive Monday via email:

Track Work Details

It is time for a little speed play. Your schedule reads Endless Relays. Here's the scoop.

Purpose of Endless Relays: The purpose of this workout is to provide you with short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity coinciding with short rest periods.

How to Play Endless Relays: Begin by choosing a partner. You will run 400 meters (or one lap) while your partner rests. After you complete one lap, tag your partner who continues the relay by running 400 meters (or one lap) while you rest. The relay continues until the clock dings 40-minutes.

If you can't make it out to the track, simply perform a two-minute work bout, followed by a two-minute rest bout for a total of 40 minutes. Work intensity should be fairly aggressive (a Rating of Perceived Exertion of an 7-8 out of a 10-scale)

Please bring a watch to hold your own rest intervals.


As I am writing this, I am exhausted! My partner and I each ran 8 times around the track to get us to the 40 minutes. It sounds awful, but I wanted her to run her 400's slower and slower because I wanted more rest in between my 400's, but she and I both stayed fairly consistent the entire time. My 400's looked like this (no judging or giggling since I know you would run it faster):

Lap 1 - 2:28

Lap 2 - 2:25

Lap 3 - 2:24

Lap 4 - 2:23

Lap 5 - 2:22

Lap 6 - 2:23

Lap 7 - 2:31

Lap 8 - 2:22

Now that I am done with this workout, I can honestly say that I liked it and will probably repeat it sometime. At several points I wanted to walk a bit of the last turn because I tend to start out too fast and then fade. But I didn't walk because my partner would see me as would all of the other runners waiting at the line for their partners to finish. The other runners and having a partner waiting for me to finish definitely motivated me tonight, so grab a friend and hit the track for Endless Relays!

Medal Monday featuring Jennifer

Medal Monday returns and today I would like to feature Jennifer, a fellow MO' Bassador.  Jennifer is very busy lady between being a wife and mother, working, and running.  She has been running for over seven years and her favorite medal is from the Divas Half Marathon in Branson, pictured below.  If you are not familiar with the landscape of Branson, MO it is HILLY so any races there have an added level of difficulty.  Check out the course map and elevation chart here.  

Be sure to check out Jennifer's blog: https://livelearnloverun.wordpress.com/
Her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/livelearnloverun

Sick AGAIN!!!!!

It has been over a month since my last post, but it feels like several months rather than one.  I had been so busy in February preparing for my vacation that I just didn't have much to post.  The plan (defined as something that a person intends to do) was to run while I was in San Juan, Puerto Rico and then a virtual half marathon while I was on the cruise to counteract the consumption of crazy-delicious food.  Best laid plans, right?  

This was my reality....I got on a z pack the Tuesday before we left for vacation because what started out as a sore throat had lead to congestion and then a cough.  My last day of the z pack was the Saturday we were in San Juan, which was the same day that the boyfriend got on a z pack because he started to get sick.  The good news is that you DO NOT need a prescription for a z pack in Puerto Rico, so my entire family stocked up.  Quite the vacation souvenir if you ask me.  

We got on the cruise ship the next day and although I was so excited to finally be on a cruise that we had booked over a year and a half ago, I was congested again so the rocking of the ship made me feel miserable for the first couple days.  I still participated in activities and laid out in an attempt to get a tan, but I was so exhausted that I napped A LOT the first couple days.   

I started feeling better on day two of the cruise but then I started having an allergic reaction to the z pack, so I had a lovely rash across my chest and neck.  The ship had a walking/running track as well as a well-equipped gym, so I decided to check out the gym since I was feeling better.  We were at sea this day and I was still a bit congested, so I had a difficult time walking in a straight path on the treadmill.  I ended up holding onto the sides of the treadmill as I walked since my sense of balance was WAY off.  I didn't dare run that day as a result, so I ended with 30 minutes of weight training and rowing.

Although I started feeling better mid-week, I was still coughing throughout the night and I would constantly have a bottle of water at my side to prevent a cough attack during the day.  By the end of the week my coughing started to decrease, so I walked/jogged on the outdoor track a total of ONE time, ONCE.  I felt like such a slacker because I had planned to go to the gym or run on the track EVERY DAY of my vacation and I only went twice! I have been back almost a week now and I haven't worked out once because I have still been so tired.  Luckily the weather turned from snow to 60's this weekend and is supposed to continue this week, so my "plan" is to get back on track this week!

Now if you had looked at the list of my upcoming races prior to this weekend, you saw the Swap House Half Marathon, which I was planning on running the virtual option while on vacation, and then the Quivering Quads Half Marathon which is in progress right now.  I ended up missing both as a result of being sick.  I just knew I couldn't pull off a half marathon today after working out twice over the past couple weeks, so I decided to let my body rest one more day instead. 

As long as I can get back on track, my next race is the Alton Half Marathon on March 21st.  Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Hopefully your training is going better than mine.  Have a great week!!!!