I was running with the team today, so I kinda lost count on how many 400s I did. My mileage might not be accurate.
I did a 3/4 mile warmup. Then I did 400 repeats. I started running with a group that was doing 90s to 100s per 400. I did have to bow out of their group occasionally to check on some of the faster and slower groups, but even if I ran with another group, most of my 400s were still in the 90s. They did 12 400s, I maybe did 7 or 8 with this group and a couple odd 400s with other groups.
Once my group was finished I ran with the slower group on their last 3. They were running about 2 minutes. For the last 3 I ran with a girl who struggles to run at 10 min pace--she hasn't broken 30 minutes for a race yet this year--and that's what her 400s were supposed to be. I told her I'd pace her because my easy pace is 10 min. I ran the 400s much faster than I thought (2 min each), but she kept with me the whole way.
She was excited.
That's what I love about running and coaching--all runners, even slower ones, are pushing to do better than they think they can do. I hate when people chastise slower runners or look down on them, or worse yet, drive them away from XC teams. There's always room for plenty of ability levels on my team. | 