Trading Endurance for Speed

Over the course of the past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about my running and the next few months ahead.  I just hit 600 miles and have been running for close to four months now so it's only natural to reflect a little bit on the past and set some goals for the future. 

In thinking about my running so far, I've come to realize that although the quantity of miles has been high, the quality has been actually pretty low.  As you may remember, for much of January and February I was injured and had to really cut back on my pace.  When March hit, I picked up the pace a little, but not quite as much as I should have.  As a result, my body has become really accustomed to running long, slow miles which has unfortunately turned me into a long, slow distance runner.  If I was simply running for fitness, this wouldn't be a bad thing.  However, I still enjoy the thrill of competition and pride myself on being able to run up there with some of the big dogs (well maybe some of the smaller ones with a loud bark).

So now I'm faced with the challenge of trading in some of my endurance for speed.  This is not an easy task but it's a sure fire way to improve your running.  Firing those muscles at a much higher intensity leads to an increase in fast twitch muscle fibers, strength, and power.  I can most easily liken this process to that of sap production in the spring, which anyone who's ever sugared should be able to appreciate.  Maple trees go into a somewhat dormant period for much of the winter.  They bide their time, siphoning off just enough of their reserves to stay alive (kind of like endurance running).  When the days warm up and the sun rises on the horizon, their roots kick into action and start moving water and nutrients under the layer of bark.  This in turn mixes with simple sugars and creates what we know as sap.  Once that sap starts flowing, the rest of the tree bursts to life and another season of growth begins (here's the speed work). 

Running without speed work is like a tree with no spring.  Sure you can get by, but you'll never see the growth you are looking for.  If you really want to up the ante, you've got to change things up a bit, whether you're a maple tree or a runner. 

Marching On

Hello again friends.  It's been a short while since my last post and I have so much to share.  The first is that we had a great run at the Intervale.  Lynne Wolfe from the Conservation Nursery gave us a fantastic tour of their operation which started at the greenhouse and then went out to the growing fields.  They've got a great supply of elderberries, dogwoods, and other species which are typically used for riparian restoration projects throughout the state.  We then ran a little further down the main road to a portion of field that is badly eroding out due to a lack of structural vegetation.  It was a great segway into the importance of riparian buffers and sparked some good discussion.  Thanks Lynne, Jenna, and Tim for coming along.

The second is that I turned 30 on March 24 and in honor of that milestone birthday I celebrated by running 30 miles.  Dean Karnazes, whose claim to fame is running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, did the exact same thing on his 30th birthday so I figured  I'd give it a try.  Surprisingly it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, despite hitting a definite wall at about mile 21.  Luckily I had a good supply of carbs and electrolytes which allowed me to keep pressing on until a second wind could catch hold.  Probably the worst part, and I assume this is the same with anyone who trains at distances in the 20 mile range and higher, is that there's no fanfare.  When you run a marathon, there's typically hordes of people cheering you on and providing that little extra boost to your morale when you need it.  On a solo 30 mile run, there's little to no external motivation (aside from a few horn honks which scare you more than help you).  There are no fans cheering you on or medals waiting for you at the finish line.  It's simply you, the road, and a little voice telling you to call it quits cause it's not worth it.  Luckily the latter can be drowned out with a sizable dose of Bon Jovi streaming through the iPod (never leave home without it). 

The third is that I'm officially over the 500 mile mark which means I am 1/4 of the way to my goal.  Hard to believe that there's still just under 1500 miles to go.  It's always daunting when I think about it.  Perhaps it won't seem so bad when there's only 1000 left but I doubt it.

Until the next one...see you on the road.