When Time Matters
What I have learned from doing precision workouts
“Everyone has their reasons for running races. Since 1990, I haven’t heard one wrong reason yet.”
Just like running in general, the reasons for participating in races vary from one individual to another. And, in my experience, there are no wrong reasons. Some people show up with just smiles on their faces, while others arrive with their “game face on.” Of course, there are all of the rest of us in between, which makes our sport pretty diverse from a performance standpoint. However, if you want to show up with your game face-on committed to doing your best, you need to consider your preparation.
“Being the best, and doing your best, is exactly the same thing that yields different results.”
If you run enough races and talk to enough people, at some point, you will hear this advice; “don’t compare yourself to everyone else.” That is the best advice ever if explained in the proper context. Let’s start with the following; “doing your best.” Doing your best requires commitment on many levels. You have to dedicate yourself entirely to a process relative to your current lifestyle. This process must include quality precision workouts, ample recovery runs, rest, and a taper plan. And this only gets you started. Then there is nutrition, weight management, core exercises, sleep, discipline, commitment, drive, focus, vision, consistency, and more…
Being the Best
Being the best includes all of the same criteria listed in doing your best with one additional step; choosing your parents. Before you start throwing rocks, let me explain. I believe that everyone came into the world with a natural talent of some kind. Finding your natural talent simply means that you may stand out amongst your peers in a given activity. Some people find this early on, while others discover it later in life. Regardless of your talent level, no one is exempt from commitment, dedication, failure, hard work, and sacrifice. Thank you, Mom & Dad!
One advantage of running and racing for many years is getting to know some talented runners personally. I know more than one person who fits this description. My neighbor Tommy did not start running until he was in his late teens. At the time, he had not played any sports and was on the heavy side. He entered a half marathon shortly after his first year of running. He placed 85th out of more than ten thousand runners. He placed in the top ten at the same event the following year. He had exceptional talent and was a stand-out even compared to the accomplished local runners.
Another example I recall was while running a 15K race one spring. I was overtaking a person (slowly) just after the seventh mile. As I pulled beside him, I said, “good job.” He replied, hi Mark! I looked over and instantly recognized him from church. I replied (as I gasped for air), “Angel, I didn’t even know you were a runner?” (I usually saw him with a cigarette in his hand.) He replied, “I just started running a couple of months ago, and I hope to quit smoking eventually.” I had several years of running and racing experience at that time and was race fit. I was in awe of his performance, considering he had only been running for two months and was still smoking cigarettes. We were the same age, both had families, demanding jobs, and were physically identical. IMO, Angel had exceptional talent.
I will reiterate; don’t compare yourself to everyone else, and being the best and doing your best is exactly the same thing that yields different results.
Documentation and Review
Another critical component of doing your best is carefully and accurately documenting your progress (or lack of it). It is essential that you review your logs frequently during the entire process. This allows you to spot trends and make adjustments as needed. I know this seems like an incredible amount of work, but doing your best will not be achieved without good planning and your best effort.
I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly mention this. Everyone has limits on how long they can sustain a highly demanding structured process. And this is why I say it is relative to your lifestyle. For example, managing a relationship, family, and challenging career, will affect your training intensity and duration limits. Even professionals have limits on how long they can maintain their intensity at a high level. Ignoring your limits can lead to a decline in performance, possible injury, or burnout. Self-assess your situation and plan accordingly.
“My first track workout was in 1991. It was a total disaster.”
It was 1991 when my buddies said, “we are doing track workouts on Tuesdays; come join us.” So I did. Everyone that showed up there was a beginner, just like me. We took to the track with no coach, no experienced runners, and no plan of execution. We decided to run hard for 400 meters and recover slowly for 400 meters. My first 400-meter interval was faster than I had ever run before-ever. Then my first recovery lap was faster than my average training pace. It went downhill from there. Soon, there was little difference between our “at speed intervals and our recovery laps.” By the time we completed our eighth at speed/recovery interval, our legs were rubber. We were all spent and unable to continue. It ended with high fives and a heavy dose of artificial confidence. We thought we were on track to running our personal bests in the next scheduled race. We were total rookies!
The following Tuesday, we met at the track again as happy and excited as if we had good sense. I think everyone has heard that definition of insanity — doing the same thing and expecting different results. I believe our second track session is how that definition came about. At the time, I didn’t know why, but I knew our process was flawed. I informed my buddies I would not attend the next session. And I did not.
Adding Precision to your Workouts
The best advice I ever got about performing workouts was to simply “simulate racing.” The track is an excellent place to start because of the controlled environment and consistency.
Running Intervals — start by running four brisk laps around the track with a fifty-second stand and stretch recovery break between each one. Record your numbers. If you could not maintain your speed in the last laps, you were going too fast. The goal is to run the laps briskly but consistently. This takes practice. I recommend running your intervals no more than 10 seconds per mile faster than your goal race pace per mile. The skill you gain from consistency during your workouts will pay big dividends on race day.
Once you have consistency with four laps, you can increase the number of intervals based on the target race distance. Four hundred-meter intervals or less promote quick leg turnover and are ideal for 5K’s or shorter events. You can also do 800 meters or even one-mile intervals. I generally increase my stand and stretch recovery time to 70 or 80 seconds for the longer distance intervals.
Let me take a second to explain the stand and stretch recovery as opposed to running slow recovery laps.
The stand and stretch recoveries allow you to begin your next speed interval with precision. Compared to the easy lap recoveries, which can be much more demanding to perform consistently as you fatigue. Inevitably you find yourself having to hurry up to make the next at speed interval. The idea here is to make the recoveries consistent regardless of which type you choose. By doing so, you can judge your speed intervals more accurately because of the equal rest time. Remember, the consistency you achieve during workouts will be directly proportionate to your consistency on race day.
Adding Precision to your Workouts, continued…
Hill repeats are a great way to build strength and speed even if the target course is flat. However, just like the track workouts, there are significant benefits to keeping them consistent. As long as you have a dedicated start and stop point, you can time each one. I prefer to run quarter-mile hill repeats. That is so I can calculate my uphill pace per mile to help me understand the effects of elevation on my race pace. Once you have determined your time and consistency, you can add more reps to the workout. The recovery portion going back down the hill should be timed for consistency as well.
Tempo Runs are excellent workouts and promote a sense of accomplishment. Partly because they are less intense than the intervals or hill repeats, and they don’t require the same level of Precision timing. Tempo runs are best performed approximately at 80% intensity and distance of your target event. The discipline in tempo runs lies in restricting yourself from running too fast, regardless of how good you feel. By doing so, you reduce the risk of showing up on race day overtrained and feeling flat.
Long runs are the cornerstone of any quality training program. The key is to keep a pace one to two minutes or more per mile slower than your marathon race pace. This, too, takes practice and discipline. The goal is to build strength and endurance without overtraining. Check out Mike McMillan’s article in Runner’s Life, “Slow Running by Example.” He has excellent advice on the subject.
Why We Run Races
I will close with the million-dollar question; why do we run races? For me, it’s complicated. I have so many different reasons I cannot list them all. Often, it is a combination of many reasons. Sometimes I am at the top of my game, and sometimes not. Many times I do my very best, but sometimes not.
Occasionally, my run time or placement is the least important reason to race. In the last five years, it has been more about charities. I am passionate about bringing awareness to drug & alcohol addiction, cancer research, or other noteworthy organizations. My highest running accomplishments will always be helping someone enter and complete their first race, especially my family members.
So if you find yourself with fifteen of your closest friends at a local Parkrun event or fifteen thousand of your closest friends at a major road race, keep this in mind:
When you choose to rise up and defy what’s easy, predictable, and comfortable, you are choosing to engage in life instead of just watching it pass by. You are taking a path less traveled that requires grit, discipline, persistence, and determination. These are just a few qualities that we nourish when we push forward in life. This is especially true on the days when we think we can’t. More importantly, by doing so, we are helping many others find their way to engage in life instead of watching it just pass by. So whatever your reason is to run races, it will always be yours and yours alone. I haven’t heard the wrong one yet.
** Forever The Student **
Mark Krauss 2022
