Speed Work Works!

If you've been reading my posts on the Lynn Spittle Memorial 5K training plan I had been using, then you already know my new found commitment to short distance speed work.  For example, while training for my most recent marathon, my speed work consisted of 800-1600 meter repeats and 8-10 mile tempo runs.

Speed Work Vocabulary Development

Speed work- running specifically to develop faster speeds

Repeats- running hard for a specified time or distance, then recovering for a specific time or distance and repeating the routine

Tempo runs- training your body for the pace you would like for an upcoming race by running at that specific pace for a specified distance

Intervals- the segments of hard runs either measured in distance or time

200 meters - 1/8 of a mile (1/2 of a lap on a standard track)

400 meters - 1/4 of a mile (1 lap on a standard track)

800 meters- 1/2 a mile (2 laps on a standard track)

1600 meters- roughly a mile (4 laps on a standard track)

Fartleks- Swedish word for "speed play", intervals are varied and not necessarily consistent (there are way too many combinations to list them here)

*the test on this is tomorrow, so study if you want a good grade :-)

My goal time for this 5k was to break 22 minutes, roughly a 7:30ish pace.  I ran the course hard last week (as in 10 days ago) and finished in 22:14.  My finishing time today was 21:19 (good for 3rd place in my age group!), averaging slightly under a 7 minute mile pace.  My first mile was 6:24, at the halfway point (1.55 miles), I was at 10:15, then the hard part of the course started.  I think the speed work helped.

I did longer speed workouts for the marathon, but had never trained for a shorter distance.  I thought the shorter speed intervals would be easier than the longer ones, but I was wrong.  For each interval of time or distance there is a different challenge.  For 1600 meters, your body settles into a pace that's right for that distance, but for a 200 meter interval, your body has a world of different challenges.

Your 1600 meter pace will be much slower than your 200 meter pace, and, as I learned through this experience each distance and technique has a different challenge and a different speed.  When I did the 400 meter intervals, I was able to adjust to my lung capacity for the longer interval, likewise with the 800 and 1600 meters.  But with the 200 meter intervals, I was never able to make that adjustment, because by the time my body was putting on the breaks the interval was over and I was already in my short recovery.  It took about 100 meters before my lungs got the idea that I needed more oxygen, then all I had to do was to push through another 100 meters, then a short recovery then right back into it- after 10 times repeating this interval, my lungs and legs were burning and I was ready to collapse.  So, what I thought was a good way to "taper" the hard workouts the week of the race, turned out to be its own extremely hard effort.

I learned a lot through this experience that I will process through and try to apply to my next training for my next race- which I have not fully decided yet.  I will leave with you, however, my training plan- the first will be what I wanted to do, the next will be what I actually did.  Any thoughts, questions or suggestions are always welcome.

Original Plan

            Saturday   Sunday                Monday    Tuesday                   Wednesday          Thursday                                       Friday

Week 1    12 miles     Strength Train    8-10 mi    400meter sprint x 4   Strength Train   3 x 1 mile repeats (avg 7:45 pace)   Off

Week 2    14 miles     Strength Train   8-10 mi    400meter sprint x 6    Strength Train   3 x 1 mile repeat (avg 7:30 pace)     Off

Week 3    12 miles     Strength Train    8-10 mi    400meter sprint x 8   Strength Train   2 x 2 mile repeat (avg 7:45 pace)     Off

Week 4    16 miles     Strength Train    8-10 mi    400meter sprint x 10 Strength Train   2 x 2 mile repeat (avg 7:30 pace)     Off

Week 5    12 miles     Strength Train    8-10 mi    400meter sprint x 12 Strength Train   3 mile tempo (avg 7:30 pace)           Off

Week 6    14 miles     Strength Train    8-10 mi    400meter sprint x 4   Strength Train   3 x 1 mile repeat (avg 7:30 pace)     Off

Week 7    Lynn Spittle Memorial 5k Race

Actual

                Saturday   Sunday             Monday     Tuesday                    Wednesday       Thursday                                      Friday

Week 1    10 miles     Strength Train    10 mi      400meter sprint x 4     Strength Train   3 x 1 mile repeats (avg 6:55 pace)  Off

Week 2    10 miles     Strength Train    10 mi      400meter sprint x 6     Strength Train   3 x 1 mile repeat (avg 6:45 pace)    Off

Week 3    10 miles     Strength Train     8 mi       400meter sprint x 6     Strength Train   2 x 2 mile repeat (avg 7 pace)        Off

Week 4    14 miles     Strength Train     8 mi       400meter sprint x 8     Strength Train   2 x 2 mile repeat (avg 7 pace)        Off

Week 5    12 miles     Strength Train    10 mi      400meter sprint x 10   6 miles               3.1 mile tempo (avg 7:15 pace)      Off

Week 6     missed     12 miles                6.5 mi     200meter sprint x 10  xtrain                6.5 miles                                         Off

Week 7    5K (avg 6:55 pace)