Back on track: a little speed experiment

Last weekend, I went back to the track, for a big change. With the focus on Spartathlon all year, I logged so many slow miles, both while training or racing. As most of you, frequent readers, know, what I like in running is, not just the running part as opposed to the walking, but more importantly, the speed! I missed a lot of that so far this year...

On Saturday, I went to our local high school to... run a little experiment: after training for so long at 8 min/mile or slower pace, could I still log a few 7-minute miles?

It was already hot as I got to the track around 1 pm. Good thing I had procrastinated in the morning, I arrived as the marching band had just cleared the field and was loading their instruments into two large rental trucks, probably on their way to some out of town competition.

My warm-up mile from home to the track ended up right on 8 minutes, a slow start. 20 and 15 years ago, I used to start my runs at 6 min/mile right out of the house but it certainly takes at least to get the older machine now.

And so came the first test, running 4 laps in 7 minutes, or 45 seconds each. Note that, technically, the 1-mile start line is about 10 yards from the start but I got accustomed to just use 4 laps for a mile for simplicity sake. I had taken my old Garmin Forerunner 310XT out of the drawer as this is the only device I have which detects lap by position as opposed to distance. Even Coros doesn't offer this really convenient feature, neither Garmin anymore. That's what I hate in change and so-called progress, when it sets you backyard. But I digress.

There was some breeze, just enough to ease and break the heat coming from the reverberation of the field and the track. First lap was 1:36, on the fast side but feeling good as always at the beginning of a run. Second lap right on 1:40, safer. Third, 1:38, consistent. 4th 1:36 for a total of 6:32, well below 7 minutes.

I was aiming at a session where I'd keep trying to clock a few miles close to 7 minutes, I had to try another one!

Second mile was 1:39, 1:37, 1:36 and 1:34 for a total of 6:26 and it still felt I could keep going despite now breaking 6:30. What if I could log a few more of these?

Well, after a faster start, the third mile ended up at 6:14:32, yet another threshold!

Typically, back in the days I was doing speed work twice a week with Bob and Chris at the Mountain View High School track before work, starting before 6 am, we would only push for 3 miles, plus 2 miles to warm-up and 1 mile to cool down. But I didn't feel like I had reach the red zone in these first 3 miles today so I decided to go for one more. It was just this little voice in my head which kept reminding me of the last speed experiment I had conducted 7 months ago which ended up in a minor calf injury which did cost me the participation into this year's Cupertino Big Bunny 5K race.

That voice helped me easing up by a small bit and run the 4th mile just under 4:19.

And then I thought, like Abraham negotiating for Sodom, would it hurt if I try just one more time? Just one...

I did clock 6:16 for mile 5 then continuing on, for what could be the last mile of this session, I decided to push down on the pedal for the ultimate mile 6: 6:10.77, yeah!

I was really happy to get that close to 6, as opposed as my initial goal of clocking a few 7-minute miles. And then another idea crossed my mind: so close to 6:00, what if...

While that looked like a dangerous recipe for injury, Spartathlon is behind so what the heck, right?

This time I gave it most of all and was stunned with a 5:53.12 on my watch. Granted, that was only 4 laps, not quite a full mile, but still, I was really happy breaking

And then... Nope, not feeling any pain, just that other competing little voice whispering: "what about one more under 6, Jean?"

Oh my, it was so tempting, I couldn't resist... And, yes, one more it was, at 5:58.55 for mile number 8! This time though it felt hard enough that I pulled the plug and ran back home, without any pain this time! It felt good too just listening to my body and not having set a number of miles a priori.

Good running throughout the week since then (20K, 15K x 3, Friday off and 50K on Saturday), this time I didn't pull any muscle fiber, phew! Successful experiment then, it feels good to get back to some speed and know that I can still break 6 minutes without too much specific work. That my many and slow long runs didn't fully erase leg speed and stride length. That so many miles ran this year might have helped rebuilding my glutes after all. Yet, speed work is such a hard and beneficial discipline, I want to get back at it for the 2024 season. A timely resolution as I'm going to be young(est) again in a new age group!

And the morale applicable to all: if you want to gain speed and strength, stopping by the track is a must!