Interval Running

I read in Maxim that in order to lose weight, you need to focus on high intensity, rather than long sessions at a lower intensity. Well, I enjoy a challenge, and I'm always looking for ways to change my routine, so I decided to try the intervals in the article.

Warm up walk: 3 minues
Sprint: 1 minute
Walk: 1 minute

Repeat sprint/walk intervals 8-10 times. I repeated 8 times, because I didn't want to injure myself on the first try. They didn't define "sprinting" but they did say that if you're not out of breath after a minute, then you're not running fast enough. I ran at a 9:40 pace, which for me is pretty fast, but I think I was still holding back a little. I was afraid I would either wear myself out too quickly or injure myself. By the last two sprint intervals, I was pushing the speed up a little, just to see if I could handle it. I'll try a little harder next time.

After the intervals, I still had some time to kill at the gym, so I kept doing intervals, but at more of a "jogging" pace of about 11:00 minute miles. The funny thing is, that's a fast pace for me, too! My usual "training" pace is about 11:30 to 12:00. But after running fast intervals, it was really hard for me to slow down. I wanted to keep running fast!

Good news: I haven't had shin splints for a long time!
Bad news: Hip flexor pain pretty much every time I run...

More good news: I ran with my sister on Saturday! It was the first time I'd ever run with another person, and I really enjoyed it! The time went by really fast, and I think we both ran a little faster because we had someone to compete with. I hope we can run together again soon!