I’m halfway through the book Run Less, Run Faster. The premise of the book is to do very specific workouts at exact speeds in order to improve your race results. It’s already given me so much to think about, and after I complete the book, I plan to share all my thoughts.
Even though I’m not currently training for a race or done reading the book yet, I still wanted to attempt one of the training runs listed. I randomly picked an interval workout toward the beginning of the training plan for yesterday’s run.
Everything in Run Less, Run Faster is based off of a current 5k PR. My current personal record for a 5k is 24:21, but that was earned back in May when I was running a ton. I don’t think I could bust that out now. So I decided to go with 27:00 since I that is more in line with my current abilities. (The book does not advocate this random choosing! I figured it’d be no biggie since I was doing this interval run just to get a taste and not as a part of training for a race.)
The workout I decided to attempt is 4×800. Translation: run 800 meters (or half a mile) at the proscribed pace, follow it up with a two minute recovery jog, and repeat for a total of 4 times. 4 repeats? I think I can handle that!
I started my run with a 1.5 mile warm-up. Geronimo tagged along.
It might not look like it here, but he was DYING to run and kept making pathetic crying noises. Sorry, Gmo, I can’t make the Garmin sync up any faster!
He thoroughly enjoyed the leaves and cold weather. He thoroughly abhorred the large truck that rumbled by us at the beginning of the run. He managed to get over it (which isn’t always the case!) and we both loved the leisurely mile and a half.
I dropped him off back at home, chugged some water, and double checked the book for my needed pace. Based off of a 27 minute 5k PR, I should run each 800 meters in 4:05, that’s an 8:10 mile pace. Gulp. I knew that I should be able to do it, but it sounded hard. No time like the present, so out the door I went!
Different speeds are needed for intervals of different lengths and it’s all based on your 5k PR. This is just a slice, but the book has pacing from a 16 minute 5k PR to a 40 minute 5k PR and every ten second slice in between!
I don’t have a track or treadmill nearby, so the plan was to just run and watch my Garmin the entire time. Knowing that I needed to run half a mile in 4:05 minutes, I decided to just run fast and see what that got me. I took off speeding! Apparently, way too fast, 7:20 mile pace. Whoops. So I slowed down. Turns out, I overcompensated and had to speed up again. You are supposed to run at the correct pace the entire 800 meters, but I wasn’t having much luck. It took me about 400 meters to find the right pace and hold it.
In a matter of minutes, the first 800 was over. I jogged out my legs for two minutes and then turned around to run 800 meters back towards my starting point. Again I found that I went too fast too soon, overcompensated, and then eventually settled into the right pace.
I considered stopping after 2 intervals. (Those two half miles kicked my butt!) But I was remembered that the book describes the Run Less, Run Faster workouts as “hard but doable.” I told myself that I could do it, so I did my two minute recovery job and then headed out for another 800.
This time it wasn’t as hard to hit my desired pace, but it was so much tougher mentally. I struggled to figure out how to make my body move fast. Logically, I know that faster turnover of my strides is the ideal, but it was hard to send that message to my legs. When my legs were moving fast, I felt like it was too fast. All of a sudden 800 meters seemed so far. And where was that darn tree to signal that I could do my recovery jog?!
“I don’t wanna!”
Just like that, it was done. And I felt done, too. I walked for a bit, which I’m sure the book discourages. I considered calling it quits after 3 intervals, but I was half a mile from home. I could walk or slow jog back, but I didn’t want the run to beat me. “It’s doable,” I told myself. So I settled into a jog and then went after the last 800 meters.
This was the most difficult portion physically. I tried to hit my target pace, but parts of my brain kept saying, “It’s okay to go slow. Just do what you can and who cares about the pace?” There was some grunting and groaning. It was a battle the entire half mile. But I did it!
And man, did I feel amazing after finishing that last 800! It was so hard, but somehow I eeked out all 4 intervals at just about the right speed. Runner’s high hit me hard! I’ve never really been high, so I can’t compare this to the drug-induced kind, but I love a good runner’s high. I felt so accomplished, so tired, so proud.
My splits:
- 1st 800 meters: 4:06
- 2nd 800 meters: 4:06
- 3rd 800 meters: 4:00 (ß oops – too fast.)
- 4th 800 meters: 4:05
I’m really glad I pushed through and did all 4 intervals. I was able to hit the target pace, so it was doable, just as the book promised. I am both scared and excited to attempt more of the runs in the book and at some point, the entire marathon training plan.
A portion of the Run Less, Run Faster marathon training plan. This is the novice version. They offer one other marathon training plan. It has 5 (yes, 5!) 20 mile runs.
Do you ever run intervals? When was your last hard session? Brag about it!*
Great job! Good for you for sticking with it. It’s so easy to talk yourself out of things when they’re hard. I do interval like workouts but I always use a treadmill so I don’t have to worry about pace. They’re hard, but it does make the time pass quickly because you’re changing things up so often. All your European marathon talk has me itching to do the marathon thing again….except mine will be island style! You’re a bad influence!!
Do it! I like being that kind of bad influence! Haha! And the marathon talk was making ME want to run one, too! I have yet to find one in the right time frame/location. But I haven’t given up yet.*
I love speed work. Mile repeats are my favorite.
Great job with those splits! Look how even and pretty they are!!
Mile repeats are your favorite?! You are hardcore, Julie!*
I’m just a wannabe runner so I’ve only done sissy intervals. I am pretty sure I hated my best friend/running partner the whole time
You are so BA. Way to go!
No such thing as a wannabe runner! You did a race, you are a real runner! And this was my first time doing anything other than sissy intervals. It kicked my butt, but it was worth it.*
WOW!!! Way to push through what sounded like an incredibly challenging workout!!! It is going to pay huge dividends for you!!!
Personally, I hate speedwork. I don’t enjoy pushing myself to that level of discomfort in a workout (and it’s no coincidence that I’m a slower runner). Before I hit the weeds of marathon training, I did try to incorporate some fartlek workouts once a week. Fartlekking seemed more manageable since I didn’t have to worry about specific timing. But I think you get out of speedwork what you put into it – and I can’t wait to hear how much improvement you sustain as a result of your hard work!
Fartleks are usually my go-to speed work, also! Well, when I get up the motivation to do speedwork. I just alternate jogging and “sprinting” (more like fast jogging) from light pole to light pole. I like that you don’t have to think about it.*
Great job sticking with it! I think one of the hardest parts of doing speed work is the mental game.
I have a love/hate relationship with speed work. I injured myself dong a speed workout I wasn’t warmed up for, which was really stupid. And since then I haven’t been able to give 100% without reinjuring my quad. So I’ve given it up for a bit. I do one tempo run a week, though I don’t think it’s enough to make a huge difference without the speed work.
I think tempos are harder than intervals. I contemplated doing a tempo run today, but ended up going for a longer, more leisurely run instead. If you got injured doing speed work, I can see why you have a love/hate relationship with it. Heck, I haven’t been injured, and I still have a love/hate relationship with it!*
Way to go! Running is definitely a mental battle. When I first started training for my half marathon, I did intervals every Thursday. Then about a month before the race, I pretty much just stopped running…so it didn’t help. I definitely don’t do them for that long though! My intervals consist of going 1 minute super fast, then 30 minutes recovery or something like that…
I’ve never done speed work with any kind of regularity or consistency. Kudos to you for doing it!*
Awesome! I used to love interval work in college. I was never as scientific as you are about, but I used to alternate sprinting/walking (alternating ever 1/4 mile) a mile with jogging a mile. I could do it for about five miles before I was dead.
5 miles of intervals is tough stuff! I’m majorly impressed!*
I read that book and loosely followed it when I PRed at a 1/2 last year! Good stuff!
Way to go! I really believe that the program works. I think the harder part is sticking to the plan exactly as they encourage you to do in the book. But if you want results, I guess all you gotta do is what they tell you to do.*