#blogjune Post 7 - I hate speedwork

Ok, I dislike speedwork.  Hate is too strong a word.  And I do feel good after a speed work session so I can't say I hate it.  Perhaps I hate it when I'm doing it but I don't hate it so much I won't do it.

This morning I was out at 5.30am in the dark with my friend I call Speedy Emily.  She has been one of my running companions for about a year.  Emily has been kind enough to do most of my training sessions with me even when she is not training for anything.  She joined me on my long long runs I did leading up to the Warwick Pentath-Run and she even did most of the speed work sessions with me.

Previously, I have done speed work when training for other races, but usually interspersed with a regular run.  I had never done a whole session of speed work on a track or distance repeats at effort.  This was until I got my coach through GaleForce Running.  Now pretty much every week I will have a speed session.

I'm not a fast runner.  I detest going out of my comfort zone.  But since incorporating speed sessions into my training, I have seen the results and I'm not "happy" to do them.

Today's session involved a 2km warm up, then 6 x 1km repeats (at effort - I like how Chris my coach never really specifies a pace, but I know he wants me to push it a bit) with a 3 minute walk break at the end of each rep, then a 2km warm down.

With only a headlamp to guide us, Emily and I set off.  The first rep you always (well I do) go out too fast.  You learn to respect just how far 1km is when you are going at an effort pace.  Not a sprint but an effort you should be able to maintain for a km.  This is the trick of these sessions.  To try to maintain the same pace over a particular distance each rep.  By the end of the session I felt myself slowing down, but surprisingly when I looked at my Garmin watch, we'd kept a pretty consistent pace throughout.

Without Emily, I'd probably give up and walk.  It helps to have someone else suffer with you!

Speed session done and it was light by then.  Home to have a shower and warm oats.  Yep I feel good for getting that done - Thursday it is a 10km hilly run!  Training for the Ipswich Park2Park is in full swing!

She's going the distance. She's going for speed. #blogjune #18

Changed them around a bit:
"She's going the distance.
She's going for speed.
He's all alone
all alone in his time of need.
because she's racing and pacing and plotting the course,
she's fighting and biting and riding on her horse,
She's going the distance."

My computer has decided to die so I'm using my old laptop and it's playing games so some of the blog features are not working.  Anyway, I will push on!

Today's mantra: Distance makes the heart grow stronger.

We aren't talking relationships here folks!  We are talking about going the distance in a workout and making our heart work hard to make that muscle grow strong!!

The furtherest I have run is a half marathon 21.1km.  I hope to do a full marathon (42.2km) in the near future - just have to find one I can realistically work towards and dedicate the time training to. 

I did have the Cadbury Marathon in Tasmania in January 2015 in mind.  You get chocolate at the finish line and free entry to the Cadbury factory.  But financially I don't know if we could afford to get all of us (hubby, Miss A and I there).  Then a few people have suggested the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in 2015 (I did actually enter a comp to win entry to this years marathon but missed out).  But I don't really like the Gold Coast all that much.  But everyone says that it's the best one because of the support of the locals that line the course and it's a flat course.  So who knows!!  A full marathon will happen but it's a matter of when - in the meantime I continue to train for the Ipswich Park2Park.

As you read, I did hill repeats on Tuesday and I was planning on doing some intervals or speed work tomorrow at the local soccer/sports field.  But running around and around in circles does not really appeal to me and the ladies on the Running Mums Australia FB site advised not to do hills and speed work in one week.  Plus the tide is low this week which makes for a great run on the beach and I love running on the beach as the sun rises.  So I'm thinking the beach wins but I might bring my stop watch and throw in a few efforts, e.g. 1 min effort, 2 min rest etc.

And today I really had to push through my 5km lunch run.  We had done lots of squats at bootcamp this morning so my legs were fatigued and my new shoes are causing a few pains in unusual places (still trying to work out why) and then I chaffed under my arm.  So it was a bad run!  It happens sometimes.  But I still pushed out the 5k.

On a side note, one of the ladies from bootcamp is down in South Australia and mentioned she was in Mount Gambier so I advised her to drop into the library as it is very impressive (I haven't been there but I have seen photos).  And she did and she was so happy she did!!  So libraries are still on my mind!!