Monster Workout

Every runner has natural strengths and weaknesses. Some are speedy fast-twitch runners, while others are long distance slow-twitch grinders. Although I was always happy with my balance of both speed and endurance, I have my own natural strengths and weaknesses. My strength is the ability to push hard right on the edge of the anaerobic zone. For this reason, I’ll be able to run impressive interval workouts in front of runners who consistently beat me in actual races. My weakness has always been running in a rhythm. By rhythm, I mean running at a fast, steady, and sustained pace, but one that is below the anaerobic threshold. That is why I could run competitive 10k cross country races, but not as well in 10k track or road races.

This season I have focused on training my weakness. I have increased my mileage & run high volume trail workouts, but the key has been the tempo run. A tempo run is one of the most boring workouts. It is a long, steady, sustained effort. It is fast, but not as fast your interval workouts. If you run a 5 mile tempo, you might be running 20 seconds per mile slower pace than your 5 mile race. You also run tempo runs in the midst of your training cycle - there's no taper. I am great at running hard on the track or the trails for an interval (for example 1000 meters), then briefly resting, then going at it again. But if your body is used to taking brief, but frequent rests, you can see the problem with translating interval prowess to race day - when there is no rest between the starting gun and the finish line. The tempo runs complete the puzzle.

My next big race is the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon on October 18th. My goal since the summer has been to drop my PR from 1:15 to 1:12 (a 5:30 mile pace).

Tuesday I tackled my last key workout before the race – an 8 mile tempo. A typical tempo run for me would be 4-6 miles. A long tempo is both mentally challenging and physically grueling. But I had a great training partner – Todd Rose the tempo king. Todd is my West Valley teammate who I have been training with frequently, and who I like to key off of in races (I’ve been close to him, but never beaten him). We started the run with the 2 mile “Strawberry Hill loop” in Golden Gate Park. This loop includes a 650 meter long hill that you run up and back down. That 2-mile loop was 11:15 (which was the fastest I’d ever run that particular loop). I felt a hint of anxiety early on when I thought about how long & fast we’d be running for the next 45 minutes. But I quickly knocked those thoughts out of my head & said “JUST RUN!” I let Todd and another teammate set the pace for the first 2 miles, and just run about 2 stride lengths behind them. At the end of the 2 mile loop we ran a lightly rolling circuit on the roads, which thanks to GMAP Pedometer, I figured out was 2.34 miles. We hit leg in 12:34 (5:24 pace). As we neared the track I wanted to back off; I wanted to let Todd go. But I knew it would be so much harder to run this on my own. Take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. JUST RUN. We hit the track, and started the first of our 16 laps on the track (just short of 4 miles). As soon as we hit the track, I felt great. Don’t think about the distance, just hit your pace. Todd and I switched the lead every two laps. Mile 1 in 5:27, mile 2 in 5:27. After that, we executed our plan of picking up the pace for the last two miles. As the light faded, we ran the next mile in 5:23. At this point it was really starting to get hard, but we were on the track, and I knew I could keep grinding. In the last mile, as we lost our daylight, Todd finally slipped away from me, but I kept increasing my own pace and run a 5:17 final mile.

All told we ran 8.32 miles in 45:27 – a 5:28 average pace, and a remarkably consistent pace throughout.

I’m ready for Humboldt. Perhaps even more than I realized!