Denouement

Michelle good job gutting it out and getting in a nice workout on not much sleep.

For some reason at the track I also measure long on the Garmin even though I would expect to measure short. I don't have a good theory why this is. I think I do better at the track leaving the Garmin home and using a regular stop-watch.

I agree mile intervals are very daunting but also very good for marathon training. For me I find doing mile intervals easier on the roads for some reason but for shorter intervals I like the track. Either way it's always much easier for me if there are other runners there for support and motivation.

The big thing for me gearing up for the harder workouts especially in the morning is to take plenty of time to warmup. For me this typically means 2 miles of slow warmup (I used to get by on 1 mile but seems like it takes 2 nowadays), followed by light stretching and then a few short (50-100 yard??) accelaration lunges to get the legs feeling loose and ready to run faster. There are days (like today) I just can't seem to get warmed up and stretched out sufficiently to have a good speed workout. In this case I usually do the workout but at a slower pace. Or I bag the short intervals and do more of a tempo run at the slower pace that my legs feel comfortable running. Today for instance I did mostly a slow run but I wanted to throw in a mile in the middle at close to the pace I did last weeks 5K (6:20). But I just couldn't seem to get going any better than a 6:35 so I surrendered and went slower.

Wow Michelle, you seem to have pretty good speed! How long did you rest between the intervals?

As for Garmin, I ran a mile race on the track last week (the full mile, 1609m), and my Garmin measured exactly 1mi in lane 1. Usually I do my intervals on a very old unmarked cinder track that has a length of 387m so Garmin is essential for me to know when exactly I ran 400m, 800m, etc. Garmin seems a little erratic on that track, probably because it has very tight turns, but on a standard track it measures very accurately.

What race are you training for? It would be good if you put up some information about you so we know more about your background and training plans.

What is the point measuring distance with Garmin on the track? It has already been measured via a much more accurate method.

Regarding intervals - you should not be doing them now at all, and your splits confirm it. You average 91 seconds per lap in the 800, then you are down do slower than 95 in the 1200 and the 1600. This shows you have plenty of speed to run your 1600 repeat in 6:05, but what you seriously lack is the aerobic base. Your recent 5 K performance proves it even more - based on your ability/willingness to run a 3:02 800 thinking you are going to do more that day, you should be running a 5 K in about 19:30.

I would recommend that between now and St. George you focus purely on building aerobic base. Maybe occasional strides for form, some racing and tempos when you feel good, but other than that, no speed. The idea is that we do not want to work on speed so hard that we take away from your aerobic build up. Try to run as many miles a day as you can handle productively. Do you feel you could run 8 relaxed miles a day 5 days a week + a long run of 12 on Saturday right now?

This comment is in response to Sasha's.

So the point of using the Garmin on the track is to see my pace as I run instead of checking pace at the 200m and having to do calculations to figure out my pace (I get kind of mentally challenged when running).

Regarding my aerobic base, I think I already have what I need to start intervals. While I started logging miles on this blog a couple of weeks ago, my mileage was about 40 miles a week in May, 50 in June, and above 50 so far in July. I am working up to the 60 miles a week you suggested (will be there in two weeks). I didn't start interval training until July. If I run 8 miles easy and then 12 miles easy then I will always run at a 9-9:30 pace (that is my easy pace if I am alone).

I definitely appreciate your feedback but am not convinced that I should do no interval training, especially since I want to go fast. I am thinking to bag the track and do all speed on the road, but I think its harder to keep my head in it when I am on the road. I guess that is all the more reason to so intervals on the road since this is the same issue I have in races.

Also, that 21:20 is not going to stand. I just need to find a 5K. I'll be doing the Speedy Spaniard on the 24th, but it's a 10K. I need to look for a good 5K that won't be too hard to get to. Being a mom with young kids and with a husband who also needs to run, makes race mornings problematic.

Michelle:

Run Draper Days this Saturday. This is the best 5 K around for fast times, and you can also trust the course, it is USATF-certified.

Regarding base - 40 miles a week for a month + another 50 miles a week for a month is not solid enough of a base to start speed work unless your focus is a race no longer than a 5 K. There are a lot of college runners who can break 15:00 in a 5 K, but very few who can break 2:20 in the marathon. In fact, a typical college runner in the marathon story is that he has a goal to go sub-2:30 (which should be a jog with his speed), and he feels like he is jogging in the first half, and then by 15 he is running 7:00 pace or slower. Why is it so? Because most of them run their 5 K in sub-15:00 off interval training, not off their base. On the other end of the spectrum, consider Mike Kirk - because of his PF he cannot do any serious speed. In 2004 about 5 weeks before St. George he ran a 16:35 5 K on a Sugar House park course. A college-type runner with this kind of speed would be lucky to run 2:35 in St. George. Mike ended up winning the race with 2:23:37! Why? His 16:35 was worth a lot more in the marathon because it was achieved almost 100% off his base.

The only reason for a marathoner to do speed is for neurological adjustments - to learn a more efficient form, and to break out of a rut when the fitness to run faster is there, but the brain just quits. But this is really icing on the cake, you must have a cake before you put icing on it!

Michelle,

I had the same proplem, running to fast to often, by listening to Sasha and slowing down, which wasn't easy by the way, my speed has increased by going slower and I do all my speed work on the road.

If you run towards the riverbottom road from Salem to Spanish fork, there are little white dot's in the road measured to 800 meters that is what I use. It seems like you are in the same area so check it out and see if that helps. I do the majority of my runs at recovery pace, with one speed workout and then one hill workout per week.

I make sure I have atleast 2 warm up miles and 2 cool down miles on the speed days. Again, by going slower my speed has increased its not easy but give it a try.