Outside of my high school track days, I've never really trained for a race. I've always intended to, but by the time I realize I should probably follow a plan, I just have a few weeks until the race, which I then excuse myself out of the training plan altogether. Another race approaches and the cycle repeats.
My next planned race is the Bridge to Brews 10k on April 15. Last year, I ran a PR, and quite honestly, it was my best race ever in my adult life. All the running stars were aligned for me on that day: great weather, a good and proper warm up beforehand, and a strong, healthy body. Ever since then, I have had to push myself to run as fast for half the distance.
This year, I really want to knock off at least a minute of last year's time. I think it's doable. But I think I will need to properly train, and as long as I'm healthy, I'll need to stick to the plan. I've been intrigued by the
Furman Institute's training methodology, whose basic idea is to run fewer times during the week but to make each run a
hard run. There are three basic runs to the plan: track, tempo, and long. All three runs really push the pace, and the miles on a given day are anywhere between 5 and 10 miles. Based on last year's race, I calculated my paces for the various workouts, and this is what I came up with:
Track: 7:30-7:55, depending on the interval distance
Tempo: 8:30 or 8:45, depending on the number of tempo miles
Long: 9:00
Admittedly, this sent me in a slight panic. I can handle the pace for long runs. My comfortable pace is about 9:10/9:15, so pushing it slightly faster would just mean more pauses between sentences. But 7:30 track miles? Anything under 8 minutes is so unfathomable for me right now that I might as well be breaking the sound barrier.
According to the training plan, I would need to begin next week, so I decided to go run a trial track workout. The first week's workout calls for 8x400s, and according to the pace chart, that put me at a target of 1:52.5, a 7:30/min pace. I was going to just run 4 intervals and see how I felt or if I could even go that pace past the first lap.
Since I have no idea what that pace feels like, I ran somewhere between what my usual fast pace feels like and a full on sprint. I hit the first 200m and thought I was going to die, so I slowed down. I finished the lap in 1:42, 10 seconds too fast!
Crap, I thought,
Nevermind my shortened workout, I'm not going to make it through the second interval at this rate. That was way too fast. As a gauge, I ran the second interval at what felt like a typical tempo run for me, which seemed considerably slower than the first interval, but I clocked it at 1:50. Yes, slower than the first one but still faster than my target. I ran the third lap as a schizophrenic runner who couldn't decide if she wanted to slow down or speed up, but I came in at 1:49. I found a consistent pace in the fourth lap, but I was starting to fatigue. Still, I finished it at 1:47.
I'm not sure I could have pulled out 4 more 400s, but when I started the workout, I wasn't sure I'd be able to run at that pace for even one lap. And even though I was running considerably faster than I thought I would, I wasn't having to push myself that much more. I wasn't anywhere near the nauseous point or the pain cave. We'll see how the first week goes, as this was only one mini workout out of many grueling workouts to come, but maybe I don't have as much to fear as I did before.
A thirty-something running mama in Portland, OR, who finds sanity in lacing up her Nikes, enjoys the challenge that running and racing brings, but doesn't run very fast. I try to improve my speed with each race, and I share my efforts here.