Speed Thrills

Warming temperatures and longer days herald the arrival of spring...and the commencement of formal speed work for many of us.  If you're like me, the temptation to get to the track and try on your spring (or spring loaded?) legs is intense.  If you're like many others, however, you might approach the track with trepidation, either because it's like a sideways hamster wheel or because it may seem intimidating ("Me run 400s?And what's a 400?").  OK, it MAY be a bit boring for some, but approached correctly, the track can be an awesome addition to your training plan.

Success on the track starts with consistency on the roads and trails.  While anyone can go to a track and run fast for a bit, sustained speed is based upon strength, which is based upon aerobic fitness, which is based upon...a base!  Of course, sheer speed also depends upon anaerobic fitness as well, but the mistake made by many is to launch into a lot of short/fast training -- by the way, "short" for most of us means distances of 400M (one lap) or under -- without having established a firm base or without gearing your muscles toward such efforts.  Running a fast 200 is a very different animal from running a fast mile, and both have very different benefits (and outcomes).  If you want to run bunches of either, however, you need to have established the ability to sustain the efforts in your legs, heart, and lungs.

This also is not to say that running short/fast can't be helpful, since there are definitely benefits in terms of improving one's stride, turnover, and ability to get to a faster middle distance (800M, mile, 5000M, etc.) pace.  But since most of us don't do drills or do explosive runs or lift with our legs a lot, it can be harmful simply to start out on the track running 200s and 400s.  My advice is to work into the shorter bursts or perhaps incorporate a few towards the end of a longer workout.  50-100M striders work well also after a workout (and at an easier pace before the workout) to stretch one's legs and prepare for faster work.  Indeed, striders after a long run can help work out some of the kinks as well.

So where does one start?  I'll be starting track workouts (for myself and others) in the next week or so, and I'll be doing repeats of 800M and above, likely up to 2M runs.  Depending upon levels of fitness, we might run more or less, but a decent track workout typically will cover three miles of speed (plus the rests, or intervals).  I am also a huge fan of tempo runs that can be done on or off the track, but I find it very useful as a fitness indicator to do three or four-mile tempo runs on the track.  Tempo basically means a pace at or near race pace, and the runs can be done numerous ways.  A three-mile tempo run could be done at a consistent pace or as a step down (2nd faster than 1st, 3rd faster than 2nd, etc.).  You can get a good idea of where you are relative to a 10K or even half marathon with a 3-5M tempo run, and these runs become a staple of my training in season as a source of strength AND speed training.  My marathon training, for example, incorporated 3x3M on the track; my half marathon and marathon training also incorporated track tempo runs that built from 3M up to 10M (yes, 40-laps of the track).  I also run workouts like 5xmile as a step down, one of which recently may have helped spark a friend and club-mate to a 3-minute PR in a half marathon. 

There are many variations, but the important principle is to show up with a base that can support these efforts as noted above.  Going a LITTLE faster than normal and continuing to build base is fine at this point as well.  One need not worry about going super fast at this point - it would likely be counter-productive anyway.  But going faster and beginning to get to and under) race pace has great physical and mental benefits come race day.  So get ready, take your marks, and go take a run on the track in the near future.

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