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stinkerpony
Newbie
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Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 8
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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 Posted: 10/26/04 - 13:19 Post subject: Comment: Speed training really does work.
I started running about five years ago because my then girlfriend, now wife was really into it. I had run three half-marathons, two full-marathons, and a handful of shorter races before ever doing any speed work. I primarily decided to start speed training because I had peaked...my times stopped getting faster even though I was increasing my weekly mileage. This april, my half-marathon time was 1:38:48. I then followed a 10 week program where my weekly mileage actually decreased, but I went to the track two days per week, a training regimen that resulting in a half marathon time of 1:34:08 a couple of months back.
Have any of you experienced similar results? Any comments would be appreciated.
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robp
Pyromaniac
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Joined: 26 Jul 2002
Posts: 16241
Location: Waiting in line at the beer store...
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Posted: 10/26/04 - 13:24 Post subject:
Yep. My 5k thru 10k times all went down a significant amount with one day of speedwork a week. It definitely works.
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TimRuns
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Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 10062
Location: Coquitlam, British Columbia
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Posted: 10/26/04 - 14:13 Post subject:
Yes, definitely, though I find that a good periodized combination of LSDs, easy mileage and speed/tempo work has improved my running alot. I went from a 44 min 10k in November 2003 coming back from an injury-plagued year to 41:41 in April 2004 and then from a summer of high mileage and later added speedwork, it is now down to 38-39 mins (I'm vouching for sub 38 but Ill see from my race this weekend). Similarly my half marathon time went from 1:37 in February (my 1st one) to ~1:28 (ran in mostly offroad and windy/rainy conditions) about a week ago.
To reap the full benefits from speedwork, a good solid base of aerobic mileage should be established first and consistency is key. It typically takes about 4-6 weeks to first notice any sort of significant improvements from faster running so be patient.
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HYPERASHEL
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 15397
Location: The South's Sauna, Atlanta
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Posted: 10/26/04 - 17:17 Post subject:
yes speed work helps, it helps a lot.
i probably do speedwork differently than most people. one i use the group skates as a training aid and do "fartleks" with them, they however rarely know that's what i am doing. In my Long milage days i'll pick up the pace periodically for a while or just use the hills as a HR quickener.
however in the last period before the taper i do traditional speedwork on a track even. in running shoes too. aren't ya surprised? 
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MechEngDropout
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Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 10474
Location: Off the grid
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Posted: 10/26/04 - 17:51 Post subject:
Aye, speedwork is excellent. They don't call it speedwork for nothin', dontcha know!
I'm starting tomorrow. Can't wait.
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Phar lap
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Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Posts: 1006
Location: A flawed Utopia
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Posted: 10/26/04 - 19:55 Post subject:
The short answer is yes; but there is speed work and speed work.
What race distance are you aming at?
| TimRuns wrote: |
To reap the full benefits from speedwork, a good solid base of aerobic mileage should be established first and consistency is key. It typically takes about 4-6 weeks to first notice any sort of significant improvements from faster running so be patient. |
Good solid advice Tim.
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runaroundsue
Member
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Joined: 18 Sep 2002
Posts: 6629
Location: supporting GREENer pastures
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Posted: 10/27/04 - 14:22 Post subject:
my only comment: I like your signon name!!!!!
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Pug
The Movie Geek
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Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Posts: 8923
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Posted: 10/27/04 - 16:26 Post subject:
| runaroundsue wrote: | | my only comment: I like your signon name!!!!! |
It would be someone from MN with a name called "stinkerpony", too. 
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stinkerpony
Newbie
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Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 8
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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Posted: 10/28/04 - 13:01 Post subject:
All right....lemme comment on the name. When I was a young child, my favorite children's book was Little Black, A Pony. There were two characters in this story, Big Red and Little Black. I have a younger sister and I quickly compared her to Little Black, since she wasn't as good at things as I was since she was younger. She then developed the nickname "Pony" and when she was bad, my mom would call her "Stinker Pony". This name stuck for many years and eventually became a joke into her adulthood. When I was in college, my Mom sent me a package with a note in it where she referred to my sister as "Stinker Pony." My so-called friends got ahold of this note and immediately began referring to me as "Stinker Pony." This unfortunately became my nickname in college, but now, when I need a login name, it works great. I don't have to be stinkerpony00445632848....nobody has taken it as a user name. That is the long and the short of it.
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