Speed run at Parcul National

For yesterday's run, I decided to take a break from Parcul Titan and the typical summer sights like this:
"If ya got it, flaunt it baby!"

So I went to Parcul National for a "speed" workout on the deteriorating all weather track near the stadium. I have been running really slow in the last 2 months for two reasons. The first reason is my running form change. The second reason is to build up my total mileage each week to prepare for the half marathon in October. Although the slow running is good for me, this long distance running thing has never come naturally for me. It's a recent thing that I've been trying to get better at doing. Anyway, I've been itching to run fast for quite some time now. With the heat finally breaking Tuesday (Temps reached 100 F over the weekend), I figured today was the day.

Steve's dumb speed workout is planned

Anyway, I decided to do a warm-up run to the track and then run a 5K (3.1 miles) as fast as I could. I would pretend this was a 5k race and start off with an easy 7:15-7:30 mile and then put the peddle down for the final 2.1 and "Bring It!". I would then do a nice cool-down run back home. Lest you confuse me with Dana, my super-organized Helpmeet, I basically planned this whole thing while I was getting my running clothes on.

Those who know me well know that my typical problem in races is that I start off way too fast. In 5K races, I usually run a great 1st mile and then spend the rest of the race trying to avoid death. But now, things would be different. I have my fancy-schmancy GPS watch that tells me how fast I'm going, so I figured that wouldn't be a problem here. As usual, I was quite wrong...

Training Smart: A Cure For Racing Stupidity?

Ok. I ran easy from the apartment to the track, set up my fancy schmancy watch, hit START! I took off like a maniac, and after the first lap my watch notified me that I was running a 6:30 mile pace! My immediately thought: "Boy, that's way too fast - I need to slow down!". Of course, I didn't really listen to that thought - or my watch - and kept going too fast anyway. After finishing the 1st mile in 6:45 (way, WAY too fast), my legs were screaming at me ....I had to slow down big time. So, for the next lap I basically jogged at a 9:00 minute clip and tried to catch my breath. I was frustrated and mad and was about to quit until...I actually started to recover - and recover quickly! By the end of that slow lap, I had picked up a second wind and took off. I ended up finishing the 5K with a respectable 21:52 and staggered home for my cool down.

So where did the burst of energy come from when I was struggling after that first mile? Was I just embarrassed because of the little kids running faster nearby? Was I looking forward to homemade meatballs from my cool Helpmeet? No, not quite. It seems that those longer, easier runs I'm doing are really helping me with my endurance. This whole smart training thing might actually work - who knew?