Today is back to school day around these parts and my lil bro is back at it. Is your crew back too?
Make sure they are cool and stay in school so they can do math while running to figure out if they’re going to make goal during a marathon when they’re dehydrated and delirious. Or maybe that’s just me.
Running – Let’s talk speed work.
Speed work in running is typically running shorter distances like a half a mile (800m) or a mile (1600m) at a fast pace. Recover. Repeat a few times.
It’s all fancy like because you need to pace yourself to certain speeds (example : Run 4 x 800s at 5k PR speed with 400m recovery). I am not a ‘mathologist’ so I’m not all about talking speeds and repeats.
Plus, it’s hard.
That’s what she said.
But, I recently got a few comments about speed work like Mary’s comment…
“do you do speed workouts? from what i’ve gathered i’ve never seen you at the track… why or why not?”
And it got me thinkin’…
I do speed work in my own, red-headed Mexican way. So, much like most of my other life decisions – it’s random but works for me.
First, most of the time I consider races my speed work and so I’ve done 13 speed sessions right there 
. This is not realistic for most people because it’s expensive and difficult logistically and very hard on your body. So, I don’t necessarily recommend it, I’ve just been fortunate enough to do it that way.
At home I do speed work (not after race weekends) around my homeland. I don’t have a super close track so I found a 800m stretch that is kinda sorta flat and use that. It works for me, but I’m not picky. Unless it’s my nose.
Today I did 4 mile repeats that were not as fast as the books say I’m supposed to be – So, I ….
A.) stressed about it and probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.
Or
B.) shrugged at my watch and went to eat breakfast.
If you answered “B” you’re right! And that’s why you won’t see too many numbers and splits and things on RER because I am super “Type C” personality.
To clarify, “C” is for “chill” not that other c word. Thanks.
If you want to try your lil hand at speed work you can:
Do a fartlek – speed up and slow down at random intervals during your run.
Tune into your speed – Update your play list with a few faster and few slower (recovery songs). Then speed up and slow down depending on the song.
Run with a faster friend and try to hold on until you can’t and then fake a cramp and walk home.
Aaaand my love for the south lives on with my song of the day (which would be good for a recovery run):
Question: Done speed work?
I should do speed work but I never have. I’m old(er) and slow(er) so most of the time I’m just content to be where I am. But there is always that “could I PR this race?” lingering in the back of my mind.
I started adding speed work into my training a few months ago. I can’t say that I love it…or even like it. But I do like the improvements I have seen in my running, so I guess it has been worth the effort!
Lululemon speed shorts. Always.
thanks for answering my question!! 🙂 🙂 i really didn’t enjoy track sessions/speed work when i started running, but now i’m coming to enjoy it a lot more. there’s something satisfying about sprinting around the track, and proving to yourself that you CAN be fast if you want/need to be. i recently hired a running coach (i’m not quite as type C!) who also really emphasizes that the track is the best place for speedwork, not outdoor areas where altitude/stoplights could interfere with your paces. just some thoughts. happy running!
My fav speedwork is to run at a high intensity for a minute, and then a slow minute recovery for a total of 20mins. It gets the heart pumping! And then I will usually do a bit of a recovery run afterwards, which feels like nothing after my sprints 😉
I love that FGL song! So summery 🙂
I do speedwork once a week. Usually, it’s mile repeats at a bit faster than my 5K pace (probably because I never really pay attention to how fast I’m running during a 5K until it’s over) or I will do some other kind of predetermined intervals. I have a hard time with fartleks because I need more structure, but I’m very Type A so “going with the flow” isn’t really my forte, haha!
i used to run sprints when i was on a track team, so i’m gonna go ahead and count that as my speed work =)
I have done them. I am lucky (or unlucky) enough to have an abandoned school nearby that has a track. I would always try to get some speed work in a couple times a month.
Well, they don’t call you captain speedy pants for nothing 🙂
6 miles is 49:00 minutes is pretty speedy in my opinion. How much faster were you shooting for?
I do intevals once a week and a tempo run on another day. The rest of my runs turn out to be progessive runs. My first mile is always my slowest mile, like a full minute slower then my second mile. Advice in boosting my performance on the first mile?
When I’m doing speed work I stop my watch during the rest intervals, so it appears faster than it is.
oh i see. Thanks for the reply. My pace always disappoints me, so I’m looking for ways to improve.
I love speed workout! It’s so tough but it feels so so good afterwards! Although, I don’t always go to the track to do it…
I can barely run a steady pace on my workouts…My speed work might count as the “faster” split in my run. haha
The fact is, I’m scared of it. I’ll just keep sailing for now!
During the week I have to run on a treadmill (I’m not running in the dark), and at least once a week I do some speed intervals. I also add in some hill intervals to make it challenging. It definitely helps with the boredom factor too!
I love love love speed work on a treadmill. I feel I have control and can really push myself.
I Hate Hate Hate speed work on a track. Yuck. Enough said.
I think you just have to do what’s best for you and what you like. After all, it’s better to do it your own way than not at all!
I like fartleks- it is my go to “speed workout” and it actually breaks up longer runs and makes them go by faster… literally… bahaha
I’ve been to the track a few times and did some sprints, but never really kept track of the numbers or anything. That’s also when I pulled my hammy, so the track kinda scares me now 🙂
I’ve been doing speed work on the treadmill if that counts. But last week I actually hit the track for the first time since high school. I totally wanted to rock out a toe touch and jump some hurdles. But I figured that wouldn’t be ideal for my almost 30 year old body. So I ran as fast as I could thought I was going to die then after a few 400 hundreds had a total endorphin rush. It was magical.
Melissa
Completely off topic, I love your running skirts. What brand are they and where do you get them?
Moving comfort! I actually have a giveaway coming soon for them 🙂
Yay!! So excited! Thank you!
Speed work… it’s one of those things that I always say I’ll do and then I start running and I’m like, “eh, screw it.”
So if you do your own speedwork like a redheaded Mexican…. Then I do speed work like a Mainer with a small person complex?
Hah!
And yes, yes I do speed work. I am one of those annoying types who enjoy it. Go figure. I’m full of terrible choices, ask anyone 🙂
I really don’t incorporate enough speed work. And when I think I do, I then get to a race, run my super fast speed, and feel like throwing up lol. So now I have decided it is time to incorporate more speed work intervals at my race pace to avoid the possibility of feeling like I may vomit during my next race.
Yup, yesterday after a hilly run. Yesterday’s intervals were on a track although most times, I just do them on a flat (relatively) route near my place or my run buddy’s place. I like to throw in a few intervals after our runs.
I do 1 tempo run a week and 1 speed work session a week (which happens to be tomorrow!) Even though they are harder than just going out and running like I want to do they make the time pass so much quicker!
I find that speed work is really the only way I can get through a treadmill run. It’s more challenging for me to focus on speedwork outdoors, but it’s the only way I’ll keep from stomping my way out of a gym from the treadmill.
Not on purpose 🙂
only when I want to get done, have to go to the bathroom, or come upon other runners 🙂
Ha!
yes!! now that I’m training 13.1 style, I try to use my shorter runs during the week {4-6 miles} as a sort of ‘speedy’ time and generally just push myself to run the second half faster than the first!
I need someone to move close to me that is super speedy so that I can get faster! I don’t have a speedwork buddy :/
I love speed work! I do it on the treadmill, track and outside. We are lucky though, are roads and lanes are exactly a half mile long, so it makes it easy to to speed work without checking my garmin!
Speedwork is so hard 🙁 I tried running some tempo and fartleks. They really do work in improving speed, though.
I did speed workouts for the first tine this year when I joined cross country. We did 3x400m sprints today with 2 minute recoveries in between. I don’t think I’ve ever pushed myself that hard before. I’m usually like you, speed is not TOO typical in my runs.
id rather poop my pants running in the rain in white bun huggers than do speedwork.
You know I’m the same way. We’re meant for each other. Want to run tomorrow?
I’ve never done speed work on purpose that I know of, but I’ve done some sprint intervals before (and hated it the whole time). My goal is to just finish my first half marathon. The speed will come later….
I just started doing speed work a few months ago and was for some reason surprised to learn this weekend that IT WORKS! I ran a 5K a full minute faster than my time last December.
Great job!
I do speedwork on my own little strip of land. I bet I look like some sort of weirdo running back and forth on it.
I totally look like a weirdo. Oh well!
My friend runs the same block in her neighborhood about six times because there are two straightaways where she can do her speed work. I’m sure people think she’s crazy, but it works for her!
I do a lot of speed work on the treadmill. It helps me to be able to control the speeds and actually makes me speed up! I think I’m going to try fartlek speed runs as I train for my next half marathon at the end of October!
SMART of you to choose option B there…I’m keeping that in mind in my next panic moment. I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂
Uh, speed work….yeah, sped right past that one.
🙂
The dreadmill at the gym and a super flat path near my home. Like you I don’t get much speed work in. I just like to run.
Rock on ladies! Longer Further Faster:)
Only a few times. I like to add on strides toward the end of my runs, so that counts, right? I also try and do hill repeats once a week.
Great job on your last race!
I have heard that ‘strides are the secret to fast running’! Totally counts.
I’ve tried speed work several times and end up with a sore foot. Lately I’ve just been doing progressive splits and ending up with a couple miles about the same as 5k pace. It’s more fun there’s not the pressure + I’ve always feeling fresh the next day. Love the blog And look forward to each email.
Great idea because negative splits are super challenging and something I need to work on!
Thank you for your type c personality comment! I’m totally type A and freaking out over how craptastic I’ve been feeling which means my workouts have sucked. I’m taking your “shrug it off” route today and starting again strong tomorrow.
I really like speedwork because I’m not the fastest runner and my silly type A personality wants me to be faster. And speedwork works. It’s fun to push yourself for the short amount of time. I also don’t do mine on a track and just find long/flat streets in my area which work just as well for 100, 200, 400m runs.
Are you sick or feeling crappy because of the weather? Be nice to yourself 🙂
I’m not really sure! I’m not sick, thank goodness. I do have a tendency to try too hard to do everything and end up overtraining so this could be my body demanding a break and saying slow down a bit. I’ve been doing a half marathon training plan which was going great but then I hurt my back doing a strength workout so I had to do some forced rest days because it hurt when I ran. That probably just set me back a little. Like I said, type A who doesn’t know when to stop Lol
“Be nice to myself” will be my mantra the next few weeks to get back into it.
Yes, I do speed work, but don’t love it. I don’t mind yasso 800’s or fartleks but I hate when I have to do mile repeats. Ugh. I also prefer to either use my treadmill or a flat path. There’s no track super close to me, either.
I’ve done speed work all of once. My new goal is to work on my speed which means I might need to actually do some of this stuff.
I also think races=speed work. But I should try to add some more into my routine. I love the run with a faster friend and fake a cramp! Haha. I sadly did not fake a cramp but had a real calf strain when doing an impromptu 12K this past Sat and had to bail and limp off the course. Any tips you’ve come across for calf warm up, stretches, recovery?
Oh no! Are you back to 100 now? I would wait until then.
A short warm up jog with strides and then some gentle stretching (dynamic moves, but don’t push it) should help warm ya up.
Took a few days off, iced, foam rolled, did yoga, got a massage, and did some dynamic stretching. Probably back to 80% so I did 3 slow miles today. Definitely taking my time since I want to be recovered for my October marathons!
I only recently started doing speedwork and will only do it if I have my running group to keep me accountable (otherwise, I’ll create excuses for myself and not do it, haha).
I hate the idea that you have to hit the track to do a speed work. I will do strides or fartleks but I also like to do workouts based on time. 1-2-3-2-1 ladders of hard with equal recovery or some variation like that. I’m certainly not hopping a fence to use the high school track at 5 a.m.!
Yes and not a fan hahahaha