Sure, speedwork makes you faster (if you don't hurt yourself by overdoing it) and is good for your metabolism ("they" say). What other reason can there be for going to the track or making yourself almost pass out on the treadmill? Well, it just feels good. No really, it does. It feels good. Moving my legs as fast as they can go (which isn't very fast I should add) and getting my heart beating faster than its normal lazy 50-60% of max is exhilirating. Once I stopped focusing on the time on my watch and instead started focusing exclusively on the effort, I started noticing how I feel when I try to run fast. This morning while doing 800 meter repeats at the high school track, and listening to Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage" (yeah, I bought the Twilite soundtrack, bite me), I could feel my legs, pulsing blood (that's what it does, right?), heart, lungs and brain all move in an incredibly harmoniously orchestrated way. I don't really notice this when running far slowly. I enjoy my long slogs because they allow me to space out and are fairly relaxing. Like a nap on my feet. Running fast is like screaming only less offensive to the people around you. Even if you're not mad or upset about anything, sometimes you just need a good scream. It's cathartic. It expeditiously washes all negativity from the body. If you still feel the sting of something after a track workout go do some more 400s as fast as you can...
5 comments:
Yes!! I'm beginning to love both too. They feel so different from each other and are therapeutic in opposite ways. Your words sum up my thoughts exactly. :)
Awesome, sounds like your training is going well. I've been experimenting with a little speed work during some runs recently. Nothing structured — I just pick an easy section of trail and try to up the effort to what feels like near-max, or if I'm on a flat section, something that my GPS registers as 6:xx-min-mile. I can't say that running "fast" feels like screaming to me. More like falling, and not in a good way.
I am trying though, within self-imposed reason. I still have a strange desire to log a ~5:30 50K time sometime next year — on a trail course with at least 4,000 feet of climbing. Half-marathons still half-kill me and I can't fathom longer than 13 miles of mostly flat, unless I was allowed to walk at least 25 percent of it. But the point of my tangent is ... yeah, speedwork is jarring and scary, like when someone screams at you. Is that what you meant? :-P
Running as fast as possible on trail IS falling for me. I'm talking safe tracks :p I am certain you could run a 5:30 50k without much difficulty. In theory I should be able to but my brain doesn't *do* speed on trails for some reason. Probably fear of breaking.
"Like a nap on my feet" - you made me laugh! Totally! That's what I do!
Jesus Christ, I need a work out.
Thanks for this post. I found it inspirational.
I am trying to psyche myself up to try Crossfit in January.
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