LSD and Speed

Today: 4.91 miles
Week: 8.92 miles
January: 69.07 miles
2010: 69.07 miles

Read the following this morning in The Competitive Runner’s Handbook. Taken out of context, it is pretty funny:

You need both LSD and speed. The key is blending them together into a balanced schedule. Experience teaches you what combination works best for you.

Here, of course, LSD is long slow distance running, and speed is structured fast running.

Today, I did some really good speed.

Scheduled called for:

1 mile warm up.
4x 5 minutes at tempo pace with 90 second jog between.
1 mile cool down.

If you recall, last week I did 5x 4 mins and based tempo on heart rate. Bad, bad idea. But I’m a quick learner. So I picked a pace I thought I could hold for 5 minutes without killing myself, but would still be a challenge. 9:00 per mile sounded good.

Did the warm up mile and started into the first interval. First check I did, I was running at 8:10. I slowed it down to 8:30 and was completely comfortable. I mean, I was obviously running a lot faster than my usual pace, and breathing a lot harder. But I wasn’t straining and gasping for breath and counting down the seconds til the interval was over. I was just running fast.

The next interval, I found I could even run a little faster without any real strain. And the third one even a bit faster. But at the end of the third interval, I did start to feel a bit tired. The fourth interval was tougher and was the only non-negative split. I slowed down a bit, but was still under 8:30. And even though I was tiring and slowing, it wasn’t the kind of all-out “ohmygodimdying” kind of tiredness I experienced last week. In fact, I even managed a bit of a kick during the last 30 seconds.

Average pace for each interval:

8:27
8:25
8:19
8:24

To be honest, I was totally amazed. I felt, compared to last week’s speed work, like I had stolen someone else’s body for today’s run. There’s no way that my body could do paces like that. I know, that for many, 8:30 is just a comfortable average run. It might even be your recovery run. But for me… it’s very satisfying progress.

Of course, my legs aren’t too happy about all this at the moment. My left quad has been grumbling under its breath all week, and today my hamstring feels kind of… sproingy. So I think I’m going to really let myself recover this week. Last week I followed up my speed day with a hilly 3.5 and a hilly 8. I think this Friday and Saturday I’ll find a relatively flat 3 and 5. I want to get one more speed session in next Wednesday and other than that, next week I’ll take it relatively easy too. Because next Sunday, Feb. 7, I have my first 5K race!