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What is your favorite speed workout? (Read 104 times)

LRB


    Now have I thoroughly confused you?

     

    But good!

     

    Before Garmin, I stood at the 50 yard line on one side of the track and ran to the 50 yard line on the other side and called it 200 meters.  For 400 meters, I ran back to where I started.  After Garmin, I realized that running from one 50 to the other is not actually 200 meters regardless of the lane you run in.

     

    Suffice it to say that for where the original poster is in her running career, being completely accurate is not going to make much of a difference.  No different than it would for most of the posters in this group, especially me.

    Love the Half


       

      After Garmin, I realized that running from one 50 to the other is not actually 200 meters regardless of the lane you run in.

       

       

      OK.  I'll bite.  Why is half a lap in lane 1 not 200 meters?  I realize that Garmin won't say it's 200 meters but that's because Garmin has no idea of the concept of "curve" plus the fact that a GPS is only accurate to +/- about 20 feet.

      Short term goal: 17:59 5K

      Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

      Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

      wcrunner2


      Are we there, yet?

         

        OK.  I'll bite.  Why is half a lap in lane 1 not 200 meters?  I realize that Garmin won't say it's 200 meters but that's because Garmin has no idea of the concept of "curve" plus the fact that a GPS is only accurate to +/- about 20 feet.

        Because the 50 yard line on the football field often is not centered on the track.

         2024 Races:

              03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

              05/11 - D3 50K
              05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

              06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

         

         

             

        scottydawg


        Barking Mad To Run

          What is your favorite speed workout?

           

          Seeing how fast I can change the TV channels with the remote....

          "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt


          Trail Monster

            Thanks George!

             

            But good!

             

            Before Garmin, I stood at the 50 yard line on one side of the track and ran to the 50 yard line on the other side and called it 200 meters.  For 400 meters, I ran back to where I started.  After Garmin, I realized that running from one 50 to the other is not actually 200 meters regardless of the lane you run in.

             

            Suffice it to say that for where the original poster is in her running career, being completely accurate is not going to make much of a difference.  No different than it would for most of the posters in this group, especially me.

             

            It might not matter but I can't identify my pace for each workout if I have no idea if I'm running 100m or 200m so it will make a difference in learning to feel my pace. I may go out and measure out 100m increments on a straight flat path and mark them with spray paint. Then I don't have to worry about the curves or the markings on the track.

            2013 races:

            3/17 Shamrock Marathon

            4/20 North Coast 24 Hour

            7/27 Burning RIver 100M

            8/24 Baker 50M

            10/5 Oil Creek (distance to be determined)

             

            My Blog

             

            Brands I Heart:

            FitFluential

            INKnBURN

            Altra Zero Drop


            Hip Redux

              Do you have a Garmin that you can program to beep at certain intervals?  That's how I do speed work not on a track - I set up a program and then have it beep at me on the 200s or whatever.

               

              racecat


              Goddess of the Cuisine

                I like the idea of track workouts (even did a few), but I'm less likely to go to a track than I am to do a tempo (different workout, I know). When I was a n00b, I really enjoyed fartlek runs. Nowadays, I throw in some strides every half mile if I feel like being speedy without committing to an actual speed workout. Tempos are enjoyable when I'm in shape enough to complete them.

                In transit, arriving on time. 

                TakeAHike


                  When I started doing speedwork, I followed advice I got around here (by here I mean RWOL BF).  It was probably from LTH, but I don't really remember. I had not raced in years and had no idea what my 5k or 3k paces were. The gist was to choose a simple workout like 5 x 800m, with 400m jog breaks.  Run the first interval at a pace you think you can just barely maintain for the whole workout. Do the same for each of the remaining intervals.  If you find yourself getting faster as you go, you probably started out too slow.  If you slow down in the later intervals, you need to start out slower.  Do this once a week for a few weeks and you will get an excellent sense of the paces you can hit during track workouts.

                   

                  My favorite track workout is 6 x 800m at 5k pace, with 400m jog breaks.  It makes me feel fast, but it is not so brutal that I am wiped out for the rest of the week.

                  2013 goals: 800m: 2:20 | mile: 4:59 | 5k: 18:59 | 10k: 39:59 | HM: 1:32 | Marathon: 3:20


                  delicate flower

                    Some interesting stuff in here.  I think I am still at a point where any speedwork is going to make me faster.

                    <3

                    Love the Half


                      Thanks George!

                       

                      It might not matter but I can't identify my pace for each workout if I have no idea if I'm running 100m or 200m so it will make a difference in learning to feel my pace. I may go out and measure out 100m increments on a straight flat path and mark them with spray paint. Then I don't have to worry about the curves or the markings on the track.

                       

                      A track is really very simple.  Walk around a track and at the start of one of the curves, you will see a line all the way straight across the track.  That is the common finish line and it is where I start all of my speed work.  Now, walk in a counterclockwise direction around the curve (your left foot is on the inside).  When you get to the end of the curve, you should see a line on lane one.  That's 100 meters.  Walk down the straight.  You will see another line at the end of the straight.  That's another 100 meters.  Walk the next curve and you will see another line in lane one at the end of the curve.  That's another 100 meters.  Walk down the next straight and you have returned to your starting point.

                       

                      Let me offer the observation that checking splits every 100 meters is not the greatest idea IMHO unless you are working on being a good miler or 800 meter runner.  The reason is that there is this thing outdoors called wind.  It will affect how you run.  Thus, your splits may be 2 seconds faster for something run with the wind at your back than when it's in your face.  The important splits happen every 400 meters although you may want to check at 200 just to ensure you aren't radically off pace.

                       

                      Whatever workout you choose to do, TakeAHike has good stuff there.  If you find yourself getting faster and faster throughout the workout, you started too slowly.  If you find yourself unable to complete the workout, you started too fast.  If you find it getting more and more difficult to hold your pace but you manage to complete the workout, then you hit it correctly.

                      Short term goal: 17:59 5K

                      Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

                      Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).


                      Trail Monster

                         

                        A track is really very simple.  Walk around a track and at the start of one of the curves, you will see a line all the way straight across the track.  That is the common finish line and it is where I start all of my speed work.  Now, walk in a counterclockwise direction around the curve (your left foot is on the inside).  When you get to the end of the curve, you should see a line on lane one.  That's 100 meters.  Walk down the straight.  You will see another line at the end of the straight.  That's another 100 meters.  Walk the next curve and you will see another line in lane one at the end of the curve.  That's another 100 meters.  Walk down the next straight and you have returned to your starting point.

                         

                        Let me offer the observation that checking splits every 100 meters is not the greatest idea IMHO unless you are working on being a good miler or 800 meter runner.  The reason is that there is this thing outdoors called wind.  It will affect how you run.  Thus, your splits may be 2 seconds faster for something run with the wind at your back than when it's in your face.  The important splits happen every 400 meters although you may want to check at 200 just to ensure you aren't radically off pace.

                         

                        Whatever workout you choose to do, TakeAHike has good stuff there.  If you find yourself getting faster and faster throughout the workout, you started too slowly.  If you find yourself unable to complete the workout, you started too fast.  If you find it getting more and more difficult to hold your pace but you manage to complete the workout, then you hit it correctly.

                         

                        Got it. I was just pointing out that knowing the markings will be helpful for verifying pace. Smile

                         

                        I have a Garmin 305 but I have never set up an interval workout on it. I may just try to figure that out today.

                        2013 races:

                        3/17 Shamrock Marathon

                        4/20 North Coast 24 Hour

                        7/27 Burning RIver 100M

                        8/24 Baker 50M

                        10/5 Oil Creek (distance to be determined)

                         

                        My Blog

                         

                        Brands I Heart:

                        FitFluential

                        INKnBURN

                        Altra Zero Drop

                        BruceD555


                           

                          Toughest shortish workout - 7 x 1,200 @ 5K race pace with 400 recoveries.  (This is very difficult).  (No.  It's a lot harder than that).

                            

                           

                          This is no lie! Running 1200s with 400 recoveries is, in my opinion, the toughest interval Pfitz has me running during marathon training (though only 6 repeats). By the final 1200 you'll be thankful there isn't one more left.

                           

                          Here's what they leave me thinking after each one...

                           

                          Run 2-3 miles to warm up over to the high school track and finish with one lap around to check out the track for any "issues" before starting the intervals.

                           

                          1st - "Hey, that was a good one - felt fast but smooth"

                          2nd - "Wow, who moved the finish line on that one - stupid Garmin must be off too"

                          3rd - "How the heck am I supposed to do three more of these dumb things"

                          4th - "Was ... that ... only ... 4? Oh crap, there's two more"

                          5th - "Please ... make ...  it ... end"

                          6th -"Gasp ... "

                           

                          Then, I typically end up with a couple more cool down miles to run home from the track at the high school. The funny thing is that those cool down miles always feel slow but end up being faster than the warm-up run to the track.

                           

                          BTW, I program the workout online in Garmin Connect and then download the workout to my Garmin. It's nice because it will give you a warning beep ... beep ... beep at the start and end of each interval and/or recovery.

                          Train smart ... race smarter.

                          catwhoorg


                          Labrat

                            Not a speed workout per se.

                             

                            20E20T20E20T20E (technically the first and last should be 2 miles easy, but that's close enough to 20 for me), its a Daniels workout. Also the first and/or middle 20E can be much longer towards the end of a marathon plan.

                             

                            Its one I go back to time and again even when not doing a marathon plan.

                            5K  20:23  (Vdot 48.7)   9/9/17

                            10K  44:06  (Vdot 46.3)  3/11/17

                            HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17

                            FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18

                             

                            LRB


                              BTW, I program the workout online in Garmin Connect and then download the workout to my Garmin.

                               

                              I do that as well, it is perhaps my Garmin's greatest value.  I do a ton of speed work though, if one doesn't, then they may not need to program any workouts at all.

                              Docket_Rocket


                                Since I don't train for shorter distances, I don't do these often, but I love the ladder workouts, especially the Daniels' ones.

                                Damaris

                                 

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