The How To of Speed Workouts

“All it takes is all you got.” ~ Marc Davis

If you have never incorporated speed workouts into your training program, I strongly encourage you to reconsider. Until five weeks ago, I had less than a handful of speed workouts credited to my life as a runner. In the four years I've been running, I've never really been interested in increasing my speed. I was focused on increasing my distance. It was not until I decided to begin training for a marathon that I began to work to increase my speed. It was simply a matter of time management. If I am going to be dedicating a significant amount of time to running then I need to be as efficient as possible with that time. The faster I am, the less time I spend on those long distance runs. But since I've started working on my speed, I've researched and found out how important it is for distance runners to work on their speed as well. I should have started this years ago!

What I’ve learned about speedwork in the last five weeks…

1) You won’t regret it. Just do it. Speedwork is addicting because you see results so fast. Everyone is different, but it is not uncommon to see improvements within the first two weeks. It is enormously encouraging.

2) Don’t look at your watch. I have trained on my distance runs at about a 9:30 pace for the past four years. When I started speedwork I would look down at my watch and see that I was running at an 8:20 pace and it would psych me out. I would feel myself wanting to slow down. I could only think, “I can’t keep this pace up.” So start your watch, run with a mind free of expectations, and when you’re finished, then look at the watch.

3) Don’t be discouraged. We are all coming from different starting places. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. It’s about doing your personal best. Today I ran half mile repeats at about a 7:30 pace. That’s fast for me. One of my friends just recently completed a marathon at that same pace. I can only run that pace for four half-mile repeats. She sustained it for 26.2 miles. Let yourself be inspired by the success of other people. That inspiration propels your own training forward. If you compare yourself to others, you will only become discouraged and much more likely to burn out. Be inspired, and don’t compare. It’s about doing your personal best. I may never win a race, but I will always be proud of myself at the finish line because I know I brought my personal best.

4) There are a lot of different opinions about how to maximize your speed workouts. At five weeks in, I’m hardly an expert. But I’ll share with you what’s working for me so far. Once a week I do a long run to ramp up the volume of miles I cover for the week. Then I also get in three speed workouts during the week. A lot of articles I’ve read say that you should only do one or two speed workouts weekly. Again, I’m not the expert here, but so far three speed workouts are working for me. (Just make sure you get plenty of rest. I only run every other day to give my body time to heal in between workouts.) I like to change it up a bit to keep it interesting. I may run repetitions, fartleks (laughing because Microsoft Word does not recognize that as a word), intervals, hills, a tempo, or differentials. Whichever I choose for my speed workout, I only do 3-4 miles total for the day. Any more than that and you will have diminishing returns as well as increased likelihood of injury.

This is a great article that covers some basics for maximizing your speed workouts. http://www.active.com/running/Articles/10_Tips_to_Maximize_Your_Speed_Workouts.htm

I want to hear some stories about your first speed workout!!! Or, if you’re an expert, share your thoughts. We’ll all benefit from your input.

Til next time, may you live life on the run. =)

Runners are mental ;)

“Running is 80 percent mental.” ~ Joan Benoit Samuelson, gold medalist in the first women’s Olympic marathon ever held.

Psychologists study how mental processes affect human behavior. If running is 80 percent mental then, in theory, someone who studies mental processes should be able to produce helpful advice about how those mental processes affect running behavior. Following that line of logic, a psychologist who also runs should be able to provide firsthand experience of how well that advice holds up when the rubber meets the road. Literally. That is what I hope to accomplish with this blog. My objective is to provide psychological insight that can help us to become better runners when implemented out there on the trail. Think sports psychology with a little practical advice sprinkled in for extra color and flavor. =)

I didn't always see how these two passions had anything to do with each other. The truth is, I never considered how psychology affects running until recently.

I began running in high school. I have always enjoyed being outdoors and would find any reason to get myself out there. Any new hobby that took me outside and into the sunshine, I signed up. Hiking in the moutains, biking, and swimming were my addictions. But one day I decided to try running and it became my drug of choice. My therapy in a shoe box. I remember well the first time I ever ran just for the experience of running. I lived in a neighborhood with a very long circle drive. I decided that I would run it ten times. And I did. I don't remember it being difficult at all. I remember that it felt like flying. It felt like pure freedom. I ran that route again the next night. And the next. And the next. I thought I would never stop.

But somewhere along the way life got crowded. College. Career. Family. Church. House. I stopped making time for hobbies. I stopped running for several years. I had always had a thin physique. Weight loss was never the purpose behind running for me. My weight had never fluctuated and I never remember paying it any attention. Until the year I gained 25 pounds over a few months. I didn't really mind the extra pounds. However, I was alarmed that it had happened so suddenly and I was concerned that it may continue further into an unhealthy state. I knew in my heart that it was a symptom of a greater health issue. And it was. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Think chronic and extreme fatigue. Think ugh. Think blah. Think =(.

I got medical treatment but it took about a year before I began to feel improvement. The weight gain slowed but continued. When you don't feel well you learn how to economize your energy. Although my thyroid issue was under control medically, I still didn't have much energy to perform daily duties, let alone exercise. For the first time ever in my life I started to think about my weight. And what I was thinking about it was how I could lose some of it. So I sat myself down and we had a talk. I decided that I could either learn to accept the weight gain or I could do something about it, but being uncomfortable in my own skin was no longer going to be an option for me.

I'll bet that you know which one I chose. The next morning I put on my running shoes and I began the first day of the rest of my life with a run. I don't know how far I ran. It probably could have been measured better in minutes and seconds than in miles because it was not far. But I had put feet to my plan on paper and it felt good. REALLY good. Let me rephrase that. AFTER the run it felt good. DURING the run it felt like everything on my inside wanted to be on my outside (to quote Brian Regan). I thought I was going to suffocate. To throw up. To fall into the road and get ran over. But I lived to run another day.

Can I tell you something that you already know? When you go into a situation with the mentality that you HAVE to, rather than because you WANT to, it greatly affects how you feel about that activity. Although I chose to start running again, I only chose it because the other options were worse. Not because I really wanted to start running again. But I knew what I had to do so I bit the bullet. I began to run regularly. And it was difficult. But I'm a very determined person when I put my mind to something. So I simply white knuckled it. For years. I put several races and even a half marathon under my belt with this mentality. Can I tell you something else that you already know? Engaging in something as difficult and strenuous as running on a regular basis when you really aren't enjoying it is a very very difficult way to live life. I dreaded running. So I sat myself down and we had a talk about it. Exercise for me - for all of us - is a lifestyle change that we must make if we want to live life to the fullest. It is not about a weight loss program that we can discontinue once we've achieved our ideal weight. It is about our quality of life and so it should be a part of our life for the duration of our life. And anything that we are going to make a part of our daily life needs to be done with some thought. We only have a limited about of time here on this earth. If we are going to give a percent of every day to an activity, we need to make sure that activity is worthwhile and that we enjoy it. I knew exercise was worthwhile. But I did not enjoy it. So I decided that I was going to have to LEARN how to enjoy it.

And that is how I came to think about how applying psychology to running could improve my life. I could learn to enjoy running. Two passions merge and collide. Result? Mind explode. That is what this blog is about. Learning how to enjoy every part of life - even running. I believe that what I've learned (and am still learning) will prove to be helpful to you for overcoming mental processes that hinder performance. As I face challenges and overcome them I will share with you what worked for me and you can try it out for yourself. Over time, I hope you will feel comfortable enough with me to share what has worked for you as well. I, too, am learning how to improve my running performance throughout this process.

By the way, a few years ago my husband and I went to the Bodies exhibit in Tulsa. I highly recommend it. At the exhibit I saw a thyroid gland. It looks like a piece of gum that someone chewed and then threw hard up against the floor. Think pink splat. I couldn't believe that little piece of Trident had given me all of those health problems. But I'm not bitter. In the long run, it caused me to be more proactive in choosing a healthy and abundant lifestyle.

I promised some practical advice so here it goes. Never. Ever. Ever ever ever. Never ever. Wear lacy underwear while running. Two words. Chaf. Fing. Ouch. I did this once while on a long distance run. Mile 1. Comfy. Mile 2. Some noticeable discomfort. Mile 3-7. Ran like a bowlegged cowboy. Mile 8. Never happened. I had to quit early because I was on fire.

My next blog will be about self talk and how it affects our running performance. Til then, may you live life on the run. =)

Why?

Why running? Is it an important part of life? Not really. Is it the most interesting topic I could share about? Not by a long shot. Is it the most challenging? Nope. Is it a large part of my identity? Nah. So why running? It's straightforward. It's simple. It's not easy. But it's simple. It's not messy. It's not complicated. It is one of the few areas of life in which I get to be in control of the outcome.

Life provides us with very few simple cause and effect equations. In most cases, we spend a great deal of mental and emotional energy trying to determine if correlations are random or meaningful. Think about it. How much time do we spend trying to figure out, "If I do X (a proactive action on my part), will it make Y (my desired outcome) happen?" Numerous variables make it almost impossible to isolate cause and effect relationships on the go. And life happens on the go.

Unlike messier areas of life, I can isolate a cause and effect equation in regard to running. My effort always produces something desirable...increased speed, improved fitness, increased mileage, finishing a race, great excitement, euphoria...yes, even mania. =) I always have something to show for it - steady improvement. That's not always the case with other aspects of life. Hence the cliche, "One step forward, two steps back." But when I run, every time my foot pounds against the trail I am creating strength in my body and in my mind that prepares me to go further, to go faster, and to overcome the voice in my head that tells me I can't do it. You know the one.

And that's really what it is about, isn't it? Overcoming. Silencing that voice with a victory. Again and again. And again. Whatever barrier blocks our path, we want to know that we can overcome it. How do we know that we can overcome it? Because we have built for ourselves historical evidence that we are stronger than we think we are. Every time we set a goal and we overcome the challenges that would otherwise cause our defeat, we build a history of success. That historical success tells us that we can overcome even when we want to quit. We learn that wanting to quit does not equal quitting. Quitting equals quitting. And we won't quit until we are finished. That lesson carries over into other aspects of our life. We gain confidence and it shows in everything that we do.

You don't have to be a runner to appreciate the value in overcoming. Running is only one method of expressing the very human need to overcome. Whatever you find worthy of your effort, go for greatness. Go all out. There is great joy in overcoming. The greater the struggle, the greater the reward.

At the end of every run, I lay aside my pride and I celebrate with great enthusiasm. I pump my fists in the air. I unabashedly raise my hands to the sky and yell a hearty "thank you" to God for helping me overcome again. An observer may mistakenly assume that I am cheering because I have accomplished a great personal record of some sort. The truth is, I am cheering just because I wanted to quit but instead I finished! I am inspired by King David. "I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." ~ 2 Samuel 6

Anyway, that's my reason for running today. Tomorrow I will likely be motivated by a different but equally compelling reason. =) What do you find worthy of your effort to overcome today? Why are you motivated to run?