Project Need For Speed

In my last post I stated that it was past time for a change in direction with my training and that I was about to embark on something I am terming “Project Need for Speed.” I know that sounds corny, but that phrase works perfectly for me because I definitely need some speed in my legs. Here’s why:

Thinking about it, the majority of my training has been geared towards the marathon more than anything else since early last summer when I started to prep for the Charleston Distance Run and started to help Andrew get ready for the Baltimore Marathon. Actually, I could probably even take it a step further and go back to the beginning of 2011 when I started back after my second Jones Fracture. Having been told that my running career might be over a couple months before starting that comeback, I was certainly hesitant to push myself very hard when I returned to running. The last thing I wanted to do was hammer out a workout and re-break my foot since I was pretty sure that would be the end if I did.

As a result of that, along with the fact that history showed I seemed to have good success with higher-mileage/lower-intensity training, I took an approach of building my mileage and keeping the pace on the conservative side. It probably wasn’t a bad plan, and I had every intention of eventually working my way into some fast workouts IF everything held together. However, for various reasons, those faster workouts never materialized. For one thing, I started to battle my chronic calf and achilles problems and that limited how fast I could run and how much fast work I could do. I continued to battle those all the way up until recently when Graston has provided the most relief I’ve had in years. In addition to that, I was also running with Andrew (and coaching him as well), and since he was mostly training for the marathon, that’s what I wound up doing as well. Since I’m most comfortable with the type of work you do when marathon training anyway, I just sort of settled into a comfort zone and had a couple good, easy ways to justify that.

The problem is, while I was training for marathons, I was racing mostly 5k’s. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that doesn’t really work. To complicate matters more, I’m not a young’un anymore, and as you get older, speed is the first thing to go and becomes harder and harder to build and maintain (notice I didn’t say “impossible,” just harder). The end result was a strong runner who could run low-6 minute pace all day long but felt a world of difference at a pace just 20-30 seconds per mile faster than that. There have been times where it’s boggled my mind at how I can average sub-6:10 pace for 45-60 min, but throw a couple miles in the 5:40’s at me and I was in a world of hurt. As for 5:20 pace or faster, forget about it.

So, here’s my thought, or maybe I should say my hope. When most of your quality work is done around 6 min pace, and even your faster workouts are only in the 5:30’s and 5:40’s, most everything is going to “feel” fast. Even when you can maintain a pace for a decent period of time, it’s going to seem faster than it is just because neuromuscularly and biomechanically your body is not accustomed to that speed. Being an older runner just multiplies that effect.

The questions, then, become: 1) can this be reversed and/or overcome, and 2) if so, how? Unfortunately I don’t have the answer to either of those questions just yet. The only thing I know for sure is what I’ve been doing isn’t working. I can also repeat with confidence what Steve Taylor has told me on multiple occasions: “If you wanna run fast, you gotta run fast!” Sounds silly at first, but it’s oh so true.

So, that’s where Project Need for Speed comes in. It’s basically an experiment to see if I can get back to a point where I can run fast again. It definitely won’t be an overnight process, and even my approach is subject to change. I have some ideas and I’ve gotten some good advice from some of the people I trust and respect the most in the running world, but to be honest, it will be an experiment. I know I can’t just go out and start hammering myself into the ground running gut busting workouts three times a week. Those gut busting workouts will certainly be present and have their place, but too much too soon after not doing anything like that for so long will just be a recipe for disaster. Instead, I’m going to have to ease into this and be patient, which isn’t something I’ve been great at historically. At any rate, it’s past time for change and to quote Eminem “Here I go it’s my shot; feet fail me not; this may be the only opportunity I got.”