Do you dread speed work?

[mrshandy]

For some reason lately, I have zero interest in doing speed work. I want to run, I love to run. But I just want to run whatever speed I want without sprinting or struggling to hit the right tempo. My goal is a sub 1:40 half, but no matter what I do I just envision myself failing on that huge damn hill for the RNR half.

I say this as I'm about to leave to do 6 miles with 4 miles at tempo. I'm comtemplating skipping the tempo part. Gah! I just dislike the idea of it so much. Not sure why.

Update: I just did 6 easyish. I think part of my dread was I was meeting my running buddy and I just wanted to chat with her and catch up, which is hard to do at tempo.

Update #2: I made up my tempo run today in the freezing cold. It felt good. I was aiming for 4 miles at 30:40, but ended up with 4 miles at 30:47. I'll take it. thanks for commiserating!

[cinco]

I like intervals, but tempos kill me. I saw this workout on strava from Lauren Fleshman.
blog.strava.com/wow-theswitchblade-9225/
I'm going to do it in place of my next tempo, I think.

Winter is a bit soul sucking in terms of speed work. Cold can slow you down just like heat. Once it gets below 25, I struggle to hit paces.

[gt7301b]

I don't dread it, but I suck at it.

I did 8 miles yesterday on the dreadmill with 4 at half marathon pace. Even on the dreadmill only the last mile was actually at half marathon pace. I don't understand how I ran 13.1 miles at that pace in a race, but only ran 1 mile yesterday at that pace.

[clseale]

Lately, yes. Well...for the last year, yes. LOL! I'm all over the place with it. I always love strides. If I'm doing track w/a group, that helps. Tempos are always my "I don't wanna!" workout. I love them once I'm doing them/they're done, but I always dread them. I'm going to attempt to bring them back in the next few weeks. It was too hot to attempt them during Savannah training. Plus, I'm learning that I can't do them when I run with DH. If I'm going to nail a tempo, my warm up mile REALLY has to be a warm up mile. If I run with him, my warm up is too fast and it throws the whole thing off.

I get the 'I just want to run to run' thing. That's how I am right now. It even applies to racing, which is why I am now taking a break. Your running schedule has been pretty packed lately. Go easy on yourself. I have no doubt you can nail that sub-1:40.

[bostonmichelle]

I don't like speed workouts when I'm not with my running group at track. I love going to track workouts and am so sad I haven't been to one in months. I've never really done tempo runs but those I probably wouldn't care for as much. I've been trying to hit paces on long runs but they aren't terrible but I haven't been going far either 6-8 miles only.

[runblondie26]

I enjoy 5 & 10k races, and don't hold back when I'm training for something. I just build them into the training plan. I don't do speedwork well on my own without some extra motivation.

Can you do some traning runs on the RnR hill? You seem to be building it up in your mind (no pun intended). Getting more familiar with it should help your confidence.

[labbie]

I don't do it. I like to run, and when training I'll run prescribed mileage but I haven't focused on speedwork or tempo runs.

My half training starts in a couple of weeks and I really need to do it now that I'm ready to move on from the Novice 2 plan.

My excuse to date is that I don't have a GPS watch so I can't tell how fast I'm running at any given time. I also don't have access to a track. Neither of these is a valid excuse, I'm just too lazy to figure out how to do it.

[cinco]

Jan 29, 2015 11:32:08 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

I don't dread it, but I suck at it.

I did 8 miles yesterday on the dreadmill with 4 at half marathon pace. Even on the dreadmill only the last mile was actually at half marathon pace. I don't understand how I ran 13.1 miles at that pace in a race, but only ran 1 mile yesterday at that pace.

Half marathon pace on the treadmill is HARD! Once I get above 8.0 I get scared.

[cinco]

Jan 29, 2015 11:38:04 GMT -5 runblondie26 said:

I enjoy 5 & 10k races, and don't hold back when I'm training for something. I just build them into the training plan. I don't do speedwork well on my own without some extra motivation.

Can you do some traning runs on the RnR hill? You seem to be building it up in your mind (no pun intended). Getting more familiar with it should help your confidence.

Oh yes! Racing as my speed work is my favorite. I have 3 races in Feb. (2 are free, so no brainer), and I think that satisfies all my tempo runs for a month.

[gt7301b]

Jan 29, 2015 11:43:23 GMT -5 cinco said:

Jan 29, 2015 11:38:04 GMT -5 runblondie26 said:

I enjoy 5 & 10k races, and don't hold back when I'm training for something. I just build them into the training plan. I don't do speedwork well on my own without some extra motivation.

Can you do some traning runs on the RnR hill? You seem to be building it up in your mind (no pun intended). Getting more familiar with it should help your confidence.

Oh yes! Racing as my speed work is my favorite. I have 3 races in Feb. (2 are free, so no brainer), and I think that satisfies all my tempo runs for a month.

Same here! There is also something about paying $20-$30 that makes me bring my A game.

[mrshandy]

Jan 29, 2015 11:38:04 GMT -5 runblondie26 said:

I enjoy 5 & 10k races, and don't hold back when I'm training for something. I just build them into the training plan. I don't do speedwork well on my own without some extra motivation.

Can you do some traning runs on the RnR hill? You seem to be building it up in your mind (no pun intended). Getting more familiar with it should help your confidence.

I definitely should! My running group keeps scheduling long runs on it as prep, but they are so early on Saturday (6AM), which I don't mind in the summer, but in the winter it's too damn cold. No thank you.

I will have to get one in either on my own or with my group.

[clseale]

Jan 29, 2015 12:26:12 GMT -5 @mn06 said:

I don't mind speed work and actually kind of like it. I also totally agree with vt's comment in that I would rather do speed work than hill work any day.

I love how different we all are. My "hill work" (quotes because they're bridges), is my favorite run of the week.  

[ebeth]

Track workouts, not really because I do them with my running group.

Tempos, yes. They just seem so hard and you know the painful part will be extended and there's no recovery interval. Tempos are my least favorite.

Re: Calvert hill. Don't let that hill fuck with your head. You can PR even with Calvert. You had a big PR on that course last year, correct.

Also, let's say you give up a full minute to that hill. That's less than 10 secs per mi to make up for the remainder of the race and there's a nice, long, downhill through shaw/Howard u/the reservoir where you can make up some time. You've got this!

[Wines Not Whines]

Yes, I hate speed work and hills.

I've realized I need a damn break, and I want to just run for fun, when I want and however long I want. I'm usually really good about following a training plan, but I need a couple of months off from scheduled workouts right now. So that's my plan. I know I need to take the break now, before marathon season starts up again.

[mrshandy]

Jan 29, 2015 12:36:29 GMT -5 ebeth said:

Track workouts, not really because I do them with my running group.

Tempos, yes. They just seem so hard and you know the painful part will be extended and there's no recovery interval. Tempos are my least favorite.

Re: Calvert hill. Don't let that hill fuck with your head. You can PR even with Calvert. You had a big PR on that course last year, correct.

Also, let's say you give up a full minute to that hill. That's less than 10 secs per mi to make up for the remainder of the race and there's a nice, long, downhill through shaw/Howard u/the reservoir where you can make up some time. You've got this!

Yeah, I did. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

[mrsjthompson]

This is the first time I've had a training plan that includes speedwork. I can't say that I hate it, but right now my legs are so tired its really tough. But I can't fully grasp what kind of black magic is going to happen on race day to make me run that fast for 13 miles.

[hannahb]

I'm right there with you.

[taratru]

I loooooove speed work. All kinds. But tempos are hard, they really are. Sometimes to take the pressure off, I just treat it like a progression run. Somehow that makes it easier?

[thom]

I really identify with a lot of this!

I love the way I feel after hitting a solid session of repeats or a tempo, but I'm not always hitting the paces I want.

I tend to do shorter repeats, 400m - 1000m on treadmill but even at 5K pace I'm struggling half way through. I know it's supposed to be hard, but the TM seems to magnify it.

And outside, I'll struggle to hit half marathon pace for 6 miles, and I wonder how I even run the times I do. Never mind getting faster!

Sometimes it does go well, and sometimes I really just need to run a moderate pace so I do. It's a balance, but all the times I don't hit the paces I hope just make the good workouts that much sweeter.

[spunkypenguin]

I haven't done speed work since October (before my marathon)and don't know if I even can at this point, BUT I really like track workouts. I like seeing those fast times and then being able to recover.

I do hate Tempos - I did them, but never really got into it.

[jamalynn]

Jan 29, 2015 11:38:04 GMT -5 runblondie26 said:

I enjoy 5 & 10k races, and don't hold back when I'm training for something. I just build them into the training plan. I don't do speedwork well on my own without some extra motivation.

Can you do some traning runs on the RnR hill? You seem to be building it up in your mind (no pun intended). Getting more familiar with it should help your confidence.

Yes this is a great idea to get your speed work in. I don't get enough races in, but this is a good way to do it if you hate speed work.

[theoriginalbean]

I usually love it, but this season I'm just not feeling the tempo runs. I think it's because I started the training season sick, then had sick kids, and now I was up all night sick again, so I'm just freaking tired. I'm trying to refocus my spring marathon as "have fun and enjoy it" instead of a pr attempt.

[arch01]

I hate it, so I just don't do it

[skwcm80]

I dread it every single week. I do it because the benefits are have been undeniable.

[runaways]

Sometimes. I don't have easy access to a track so I mostly do tempos and I have a very much love/hate relationship with them.