Speed work

Speed work is like hill training, a necessary evil. If you want to increase your overall speed you need to do speed work (and cross train).

I don’t know about you, but when I’m sprinting it sucks. I hate it. I’m not fast. I’m happy if I run one 8-minute mile and then slow down. But doing longer races has made me want to do speed work. I don’t want to be out there running for 8+ hours. Don’t get me wrong, I love running. I just have other things that need to be done throughout the day.

So, how to do speed work. I only do it one time per week. It’s because I cross train so much and when I do run I need to get miles in. I personally like speed work on Mondays. Only because starting off the week with I consider the most difficult workout makes the rest of the week feel easy.

How I do speed work: start off easy. Don’t go balls to the wall before you’ve warmed up. Your body needs some time to adjust first. Light, easy jog or fast walk for the first 3-5 minutes. How long you warm up depends on the time of day and the outdoor temperature. if it’s early in the morning your body has been at rest and you need more time to warm up. Same if it’s cold.

After you’ve properly warmed up your muscles, give it a go. Sprint for a couple seconds and see how it feels. Feels good right? Feels strong? Good, now do that for a full minute. I know, I’m mean.

After your full minute is up, light jog for 2 minutes. Repeat the process until you’re tuckered out.

Some days your sprints will be faster, better feeling. Others, not so much. It depends on your nutrition and hydration. Along with how well rested you are.

If you’re running with slower paced runners, your sprints won’t be fast. If your running with fast paced runners it will push your limits.

I brought my dog out with me for speed work the other day. I thought for sure she’d push me and keep me going fast. Yeah, it was the opposite. She was a slow paced runner. We moved so slow.

If you’re really crazy, do your speed work on hills. That’s a for sure way to get your heart rate up!