A Faster Rnner

Hey hey, kids!

Super stoked about all the responses we got from our Jillian Michaels challenge!!!
I cannot wait to see all the results!
Gotta put in the work to get 'em!!
It all starts tomorrow, baby!

Running has been basically the only exercise I've been doing since about August of last year.
Add in better eating choices and I'm down about 40 pounds!

Not only do I now want to tone up some things...
...I want more muscles to make me a better and faster runner!!

You see, I have a 5k planned for June 7th.
It's back in my home town in Pennsylvania and my good friend is the creator/coordinator of the event.
It's a flat and fast course so you all know I want to PR the F out of this baby.
I also want to beat a few certain people.

These are the race results form this same race from 2011.
(The 2012 race was canceled due to whatever Hurricane was going through at that time)
Those times I numbered are 6 people that I know personally that I would LOVE to beat!
Not because I don't like them!
They're all really, REALLY great people!!
(Numbers 2 and 3 were super supportive and encouraging in my first half mary journey)
They're also all runners/skinny/in shape folks.
(Ok, and Number 1 is an ex-boo of mine. Can you blame me for wanting him to eat my dust?!?)

I feel that I've worked hard to lose this weight and to accomplish all that I have through running.
And to beat any of those people and their times would be the icing on the cake
(Mmmmm... Cake!)

Is that Prideful? Rude? Mean? Ridiculous?
Maybe.
But it's honest.

I know they say it over and over again,
"Don't compare your time to others..."
"Your time is your time..."

But does it hurt to have a little motivation?!?
I don't want to compete with these times to say I'm a better runner.

I want to compete with these times for my own personal accomplishments.
I want to compete with these times to say look how far I've come!
Look how hard work and dedication pays off.


I also saw that these were the top two times at this race in 2011 for my age group 30-39

(They only award the top 2 in each group)
And while I don't know if those kinds of time are obtainable for me,
I know I want to live free or die hard trying.
(oh, and just so we're clear, I'm looking at the 24 minute time. This bia ain't crazy in thinking she can even get anywhere near that 20 minutes.)


So, in conjunction with working that muscle with Ms. Michaels, I will also be incorporating speed training into my May workout schedule.
Thursdays will be strictly speed training day.

I've Googled some speed training techniques and tips and found some helpful sites.
You can check those out here, here and here if you're interested. (thanks, Marcia for that last one!)


I found that first article to be the most informative and helpful, so I plan to kind of use that as my basis. 
I plan to start out with the Fartlek method.

"Fartlek?!?"  - This is Swedish for "speed play" and is essentially a series of faster pickups with a recovery interval in between. (Wording directly taken from link posted.)

What really stuck out to me in this article in regards to the Fartlek training was this:

"A mix of short, fast running and longer, steady stretches will tap into your anaerobic system and increase your aerobic capacity, thus improving your ability to maintain a faster pace."

My plan for this Thursday is to warm up with a 0.5 - 1 mile jog. Then work on 1 minute sprinting/fast pickups, recovery time of 2 minute jogging followed by 5 minute fast, steady pace, 2 minute recovery time...and repeat these intervals for 2 - 3 miles. Then end with a half mile cool down jog.

My plan right now is to use this Fartlek method along with some basic track training for these next 6 weeks before the race.




If any of you have played around with speed training work and swear by a particular method, drill, technique, I'd love to hear!

Happy Tuesday!