Yasso's 800's Are The Business!!!

The thought of running in ovals ranks up there with running on a treadmill for me as my least favorite way to experience the joy of running.  I'd prefer a trail or the asphalt jungle.

Imagine my surprise when I showed up at the track and was greeted by this sign.  My first thought was "really" directions for running in an oval.

Last week I did the same workout on the trail and used my Garmin to measure the distance, this week I decided to switch it and use the track.

A different environment calls for a change in my routine.  I usually run with a belt or vest to stay hydrated.  But, I decided to go solo and leave my water bottle on the side tied to the fence.

After 1.5mile warm up I'd start my Yasso's 6x800 repeats with 9miles.  Why?  Because it was on my plan and Bart Yasso is a reliable source.  Bart-(like we're personally friends) saw a correlation between your marathon finishing time and your 800 repeat time.  

I pulled my TBT Newtons out of the closet for this work out.  When I started running a few years back I used Newtons to help with my form.  Newtons are growing now they have 5 Lugs.

At the start of my work out I had the track to myself, then a gym class showed up to walk around the track and shortly after a Soccer showed up.  With spectators now I feel like Tupac all eyes on me-(not really).  But, the presence of others did make me more conscious of my form.

As the workout progressed it got harder.  Yasso's 800 are the business.  There are those in running ovals who take issue with Bart's claims stating there is no data to support his theories. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.  A wise man told me buy two books and then make up your own mind.  Jeff Gaudette has a different take on the subject.  Your can check out his article here: Yasso's 800's Workout Don't Waste Your Time . 

I'm currently reading Malcom Gladwell's latest book David and Goliath, a book about underdogs, misfits, and the art of battling giants.  In it he talks about a "natural experiment".  Gladwell said "Sometimes scientists set up formal experiments to try and test hypotheses. But on rare occasions the real world provides a natural way of testing the same theory-and natural experiments have many advantages over formal experiments". 

So is it a "cowinky dink" that your finishing time in marathon bears a close resemblance to your 800 repeat time?  What do you think?

All I know is I had an awesome 9mi with 6x800 workout that caused me to come out of my shirt.

RunR4Lyfe