First Speed Workout and it was fun. Should I do it twice a week? (Read 1318 times)

I did my first speed work today. I'm planning on following a Pfitzinger's marathon plan starting next month so I figured I would do one of his speed workouts. He has a workout called "General Aerobic + Speed". A typical workout would be 7 miles w/ 10x100m strides. His book says to run the 100m strides and jog or walk 100-200m. Since I wasn't on a track, I used my GPS and used 0.1 miles (160m). I did 12x160m with 160m walking. I did slow running before and after to make a total of 7 miles. I really enjoyed the strideouts as I was able to get up to a 6:30 min/mile pace for each strideout and it felt comfortable. I wasn't all-out sprinting as though I were in a 100m race. I've never run so fast since I started running last year. The walking breaks were great as I was able to recover and be ready for the next strideout. I almost felt as though I were cheating having walked for the same distance I was doing the strides. For someone that has been doing all my running recently in the 9:30-10:30 min/mile pace, running at 6:30 was great. Of course, because of my walking breaks, my average pace was still 10:10 for the 7 miles. My plan was to do one speed workout a week for the next 4-5 weeks, but I enjoyed this so much, I'm thinking of doing it twice a week. Should I go ahead, or should I hold back for now? His book says this workout is to improve "running economy". Will this make me faster or will speed come with other workouts? Pfitzinger has 2 other speed workouts, lactate threshold and VO2max.

Derek, if you have a plan that you're going to follow, why start it early? That being said, improving form will improve speed by increasing stride rate, stride length, and make you more efficient overall. Different workouts will have different results.

What exactly are strides?

This might be a dumb question, but how do strides differ from farleks--are fartleks just less structured? k

His book says this workout is to improve "running economy". Will this make me faster or will speed come with other workouts? Pfitzinger has 2 other speed workouts, lactate threshold and VO2max.

Derek - To answer your question, Pfitzinger actually classifies striders as a "form" workout not a "speed" workout. Its main purpose is to train you to hold good running form while moving at a faster pace. As such, while running the striders, it is more important to focus on your form, breathing, arm swing, posture, hip rotation, turnover rate, etc. than your actual pace. The LT and VO2 workouts are the "real" speed workouts, according to Pfitz, and you will get the most improvement in your racing speed from these drills.

To answer your question, Pfitzinger actually classifies striders as a "form" workout not a "speed" workout. Its main purpose is to train you to hold good running form while moving at a faster pace. As such, while running the striders, it is more important to focus on your form, breathing, arm swing, posture, hip rotation, turnover rate, etc. than your actual pace.

That brings up another question then.....how fast should I run the strides? Should they be done at "race" pace or should I do them as fast as I can while maintaining form? Pftiz's Advance Marathoning simply says "accelerate up to full speed over the first 70 meters" When I did them, I got up to 6:30 min/mile, but I know I'm not going to be running a marathon anytime soon at that pace....but it would be nice :-). Should I just go to 8:30-9:00 since that is probably a more realistic race pace for me.

I second what was said by Jeff and mikeymike. Very good advice. They know what they're talkin about. Hey derek, speed feels good don't it. Keep it up and your pace on long runs will begin to drop at the same effort{heart rate}. Again, speed feels good don't it. My fav workout of the week. I generally take the day off after them, but starting this week I'm going to do a low mileage recovery run to increase from 4 to 5 days a week. Oh and strides are good the day after long runs to get the stiffness out, but hey you've put in a good base over several months now and if I were you, liking speed and all, go ahead and have 1 day a week for "speed" and try some strides on another. Just remember, too fast too soon...injury! Just listen to your body. Good luck. I'll be watching your log for improvements. Ricky

According to McMillan Running: Strides You're probably familiar with "Strides" though you may call them windsprints, pickups, striders or stride outs. They're not unlike the fast accelerations that you do right before a race. Strides work to improve your sprinting technique by teaching the legs to turn over quickly. It's really the neuromuscular system that we're trying to develop here which is why they are shorter than anaerobic capacity intervals. They last only 50-200m because unlike the anaerobic capacity intervals, we don't want lactic acid to build up during each stride. This inhibits the nervous system and interferes with the neuromuscular adaptations that we want. Accordingly, after each stride, you must jog easily for a minimum of 30 seconds and up to a minute and a half to make sure the muscles are ready for the next one. Not allowing for sufficient recovery after each stride is a common mistake. Take advantage of the longer recovery. It will allow you to put more effort into each stride which really helps develop your speed. As you might imagine, the pace for strides is very fast - 800m to mile race pace. Note that this is not all-out sprinting. Run fast but always stay under control. These are quick efforts where you practice good form. You'll be amazed at how much your finishing kick improves with these workouts. You can incorporate some strides or "pick-ups" during the middle of your run or at the end. To perform, run fast for 15 to 25 seconds then jog easily for 30 seconds to a minute and a half before beginning the next one. Begin with four strides and build up to ten to 20.