Tag: speed work

How to Run Hard
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what is running hardHeart rate, pace, mileage, cadence — we runners are data junkies! But with our (over?) reliance on gadgets to measure all these things, are we losing our internal navigation systems? When we’re staring at our watch with all its bells and whistles and thinking about what it’s going to post on Strava, can we ever run mindfully? Are we capable of feeling easy pace, tempo effort, strides, or even race pace?

We’ve talked a lot about easy pace. And by now we probably all know to use that age-old mindfulness trick called the talk test: can I carry on a conversation without major huffing and puffing? If so, then the pace is easy. But what about running hard? How are you supposed to know when we’re pushing ourselves hard enough, but not too hard? What does it even mean to run hard? Read more >>

Get Off the Track to Get Faster
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img_20160308_202527Earlier this summer when I went to the track to do a workout, but when I got there it was closed due to construction. Already lacking motivation for the workout in the blistering heat, I drove back to my house because driving around to the other tracks would have zapped whatever mojo I had left. Back at home, I improvised. I quickly logged into Garmin and made an automatic workout for what I was supposed to do, synced my watch, and was back outside in minutes. I left my water bottle, a towel, and some Honey Stinger chews on the trunk of my car at the end of the driveway, and set off on my workout. I did a larger two-mile loop for my warm-up, then used the shorter loop right around the house to do my speed work, with my car serving as a water stop.

I finished the workout, glad that I got it done and oddly proud that I made it happen off the track. I’ve done strides down the side street next to my house many times and I’ve used hills on other roads for workouts before, but until this day, I almost never did short speed on roads. Getting off the track for my speed work was a perspective-changer for me and if your aim is to get faster, I think it might be for you too.

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What the Heck Are Strides?
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imageIt took me years of consistent training before I made a big breakthrough with running and broke into the sub-elite ranks of the sport. Sure, I ran a lot of miles, I did long runs and tempos and intervals, but I chalk a lot of my success up to something you might not suspect. My favorite secret to getting faster? Strides!

If you’ve perused our training logs you’ve seen that many of us incorporate strides. Strides, sometimes called striders, are a common component of high school and college training programs and they should be in your training program too. But what exactly are strides?

While there certainly are a few of us who have no idea, many of us have at least a passing knowledge of what strides are. But even if you have included them in your training for years, do you actually know what purpose they serve in your training? Do you know when it’s ideal to incorporate them into a run? Are you doing them correctly? Let’s discuss! Read more >>

Make Track Workouts Work for You: Don’t Make these 7 Mistakes
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May your only mistakes at the track be fashion crimes.
May your only mistakes at the track be fashion crimes.

Runners love track workouts; they give us feedback and structure, plus they break up the monotony of our training weeks. After running mile after mile at the same old easy pace, it’s nice to head to the local track to work! But what if that work isn’t really doing you any good or worse … hurting you?

Many runners don’t know how to run a track workout correctly. Luckily, we’ve seen plenty of track workout mistakes and made lots of our own, so we can save you some headaches and instead make your track workouts work for you. Read more >>

Treadmill Tip of the Week: Translating Speed Work for the Treadmill
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Baby it’s cold outside. Time to hit the mill!

Sometimes, no matter how hardcore you are you just can’t get in your workout outside. The tracks are covered in snow and ice. The temperature is double digits below zero. In my world, the kids are all sick and you can’t leave the house. The treadmill is always there. It can be a life saver for busy runners and those living in harsh winter climates. And for that, I and many many runners are supremely grateful.

When people say treadmill running is lesser than outdoor running, I say pish-posh! Treadmill running is great. But as I’ve said before, while it’s great and certainly not lesser than outdoor running, running on the treadmill is different and these differences intensify the faster you go. Because of these differences, not all runs translate from the roads or track to the treadmill. Some need modification for the mill.  Some just shouldn’t be done at all on the mill.

Let’s discuss. Read more >>