I wasn’t bored with my workout today but Brooke sure was. She was ready to get outside after my 60 minutes of switching off from the treadmill to the elliptical to weights. It flew by for me but apparently for her she was ready to go on our walk.
Once we got outside she was beyond happy and talking nonstop.
This morning I was texting a friend who was asking for some ideas to get faster. After I told her my favorite ways to get faster and then I started looking up some more speed work ideas for her to try and I found this article here with a ton of great ideas.
Remember: “Speed sessions aren’t about sprinting flat out until you’re sick. They’re about controlling hard efforts and spreading your energy evenly over a set distance or time, just like you would in a perfect race.”
It got me really excited not because I am obsessed with getting faster (okay, that is a lie) but also because they had a TON of ideas that will help fight any boredom you might be experiencing with running. Throw in a few of these workouts and I guarantee (I guess I can’t guarantee anything) that you will be looking forward to your runs more because you will be trying tons of new things all of the time. Here are a few of my favorite from the article:
Does talking about speed work make you hungry too? I had to get in the kitchen asap after reading that and made a tilapia salad, apple with pb and a piece of bread.
—————————————————————-
What is your most memorable running moment? Share it with Brooks and your Run Happy moment could be posted to their Facebook Timeline. Check it out HERE!!!
42 comments
Leslie
I definitely forgot to GO PEE before my first half-marathon. I was so nervous and it was the NYC half in March and it was SO COLD so between nerves and chills it wasn’t until we started moving that I looked over at my hubby and said “I forgot to pee!” He assured me my body would absorb it and it totally did!
I love Brooke’s hoodie, where from?!
Cait the Arty Runnerchick
haha…this is my worst nightmare! i always HAVE to make sure i go to the bathroom right before the gun goes off. lol
Sarah @PickyRunner
Brooke’s facial expressions are priceless, as usual! LOVE this race-day checklist. I feel like I always forget everything that I was planning on bringing with me! For my half a couple of months ago I forgot my swedish fish in the car and didn’t have my phone to make my mom go get them for me. I think I would have run at least 2.6 minutes faster if I didn’t forget them. Now I pack everything the night before and then repack it before I go!
Brittany @ berries & barbells
Thanks for the great links! I love reading tips to make me faster. I DON’T eat fish! Yuck!
Rachel
I am just discovering fish and working it into the meal rotation. Salmon this week, every day so far! Yikes!
I am ALWAYS messing with the arrow keys on the treadmill. I will increase incline for a few minutes and then alternate speed/incline adjustment every minute after that. And read or listen to a book. And watch a movie. I need distraction for the dreadmill!!
My first marathon, I took 3 Advil and put them in the media pocket in my shorts to take at mile 15. I knew I’d be in pain– that’ my only addition to the list!
Caitlin
My God, your little girl is absolutely stunning!! Not shocking looking at both you and Billy. Also, I wish it wasn’t weird for adults to wear hats/beanies/hoods with ears. I want some ears.
I’m usually pretty good at setting everything out and being really organized to not forget anything. I do tend to sit there and go back and forth between bringing and not bringing music over and over and over again.
I don’t force myself to do things I don’t want to do- if I don’t feel like running today, I’m not going to run. Last thing I want is to dread my work outs, so instead I do my Biggest Loser Kinect work out, do yoga, or swim laps and then run tomorrow.
The last fish I had were Swedish Fish. I’ve never liked fish, but did come to kind of like white fish right before becoming a vegetarian and giving it up.
Renee
I love the list of ways to get faster…and I can attest that the fast/slow 200s is a good workout. We did it in college and the constantly moving forced you to recover while fatigued.
Katie
Brooke looks so happy!!!! And I love her “bored” photo- she was soooo ready for a walk. ;) To fight boredom during a workout, I’ll turn my tv on (if I’m in my living room) and watch some Teen Mom or something equally awesome while working out! If I’m running, then music helps me all the way!
xo
Cathryn
i’m always obsessed with remembering hair elastics, having been saved by a total stranger at a half marathon. I always bring a spare so i can pass the favour on.
Love the speed workouts…I’m about to start speedwork again, I’m actually excited about it.
Jessica @ Busy Living Healthy
Brooke is a cutie! Thank you for posting these tips! I really want to get faster especially after coming back from a minor injury. :)
Deidre Skrudland
Oh my goodness, Brooke is adorable!!!
Love the links on this site to getting faster. And the Brooks checklist is a MUST!
Karen @ Runner Girl Eats
I will need to try these things! Last fish I had was salmon and last sald was a Caesar salad wedge. Both delicious :)
Kim@hungryhealthygirl
I love all of these ideas and agree that changing up the run keeps it interesting. I like running intervals too. New music always makes my run fly by! I had a salad today with chicken, quinoa, Brussels sprouts and cranberries.
penny@herworldlypleasures
Brooke is getting cuter by the day!
I’d love to run faster and constantly trying. I will get there, one day.
Krista
Omgoodness your daughter is the most adorable little girl I love her eyes and her smile today. So cute. Great checklist from Brooks. I’m interested in running a half marathon but my longest distance is 7 km. And I become bored and unmotivated so fast. One day I’ll get there.
Paula @ Eat: Watch: Run
I am not really a baby person, but I can’t get over how adorable Brooke is with all her cute expressions. I know you must be LOVING having her around. Best non-planned event ever! :-)
Speed training is my favorite thing right now. I always do the same workout because I love it but I might change it up once I check out your link.
Julie @ Sweetly Balanced
Thanks for posting this!! That is my MAIN goal this year- to get faster!! I only started running last January and since I already accomplished my goal of running my first half marathon- I’m determined to now be a much faster runner than I am!
jan
These are great tips; thanks so much for sharing them! I’m always look for creative ways to incorporate speed workouts as doing the same ones is soooo incredibly boring.
Kristen @ notsodomesticated
I LOVE that second picture of Brooke! She is the cutest!!
michelle kim
Varying the places I run (exploring new areas) and the terrain is a great way to break running boredom. I like to vary the speed on the treadmill to keep it fun.
Love the checklist! So far, I haven’t really forgotten anything… so far. Knowing myself, I’m bound to forget something big one of these days!
suzie
brooke is freakin ADORABLE
i would love it if you did a post about how you got to run so fast. are you naturally fast? I am much faster then when i started, solely by upping speeds on my treadmill. I actually realized after running outside all summer i am slower now on the treadmills then before! i think its because i got lazy when running outside without the set speed to push me and ran much slower. anyway, I was wondering if speed is something that is natural, if all people can get faster if they try? what do you think?
Chelsie @ Balance, Not Scale
My first half-marathon was my first big race (in September) — I had checked the course map, but hadn’t paid attention to checking the direction. So first, I had to ask at information whether the start was east and the finish west or vice versa. And once I (totally embarrassed) found the corrals, I had to ask which way we would be running, north or south. Oops! :)
I had a tilapia salad-ish dish for lunch too. A tilapia fillet with steamed sweet potato, corn, and peas. So fresh. Yum!!
Ps. I love Brooke’s hood — the ears are TOO precious!!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
I forgot my headphones at my last half marathon!! I never run without music, but luckily it was a rock n roll race so there was a little music along the way
Nicole@TheKidlessKronicles
To be honest I don’t usually forget anything except maybe mental toughness. Not in my last couple of races though.
The Kidless Kronicles
Katie
I would melt if I saw that baby face everyday. She’s looks so perfect! And good running faster tips–probably will use a few of those…ya know…when I’m actually feeling motivated for speed work.
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
Ok, Brooke is seriously getting cuter by the day. And her little hoodie! Ack! Can’t handle the cuteness. Can’t handle fish either :shock: This isn’t something I like to admit, but I’m not a big fan of fish… I think I’ve only eaten it once or twice in my life and that was quite enough. Salads, on the other hand, I do like… but mine are usually just a random collection of veggies that I have in the fridge.
Anne
That pyramid workout is KILLER! By the end I am absolutely dying!
Danica @ It's Progression
I had salmon at lunch today too–that and tilapia are the only kinds of fish I like :)
LOVE that Race Day Checklist. pinned it to use in the future, though it makes me wish I had a race coming up SOON!
Lyric
I fight boredom with music especially the new T-Swift album Red!!
TorontoRunner
I’m looking to re-build my speed/stamina to where it was, and also generally get faster. Thanks so much for the list of suggestions. Really appreciate it!
Megan @ Run Like a Grl
I just started incorporating way more speed workouts and my pace has increased in my past few races. I didn’t think speed workouts worked (or I didnt want to do them so I pretended they didn’t)… but they DO! Amazing.
Natalie
My Very first race is coming up Dec 1, and now I’ve got this checklist so hopefully I won’t forget anything!
I don’t usually run for speed, but it is an awesome side effect to a great run, I just really try to get into the rhythm of it and have a great playlist to avoid that boredom!
I’ve been ALL about the tilapia lately, like four nights a week, love it!
Raychel
I am terrified of speed work most of the time! I am a newbie runner though so I have time to work on it :) If I am outside running I am almost never bored and if I get bored at the gym I just start listing all of the things I am thankful for in my head. It helps as long as my workout isn’t SUPER hard because then it’s hard to come up with happy thoughts haha
I don’t eat fish and the last salad I ate was a salad I made tonight with rotisserie chicken, romaine and other salad veggies and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Shay @ Whine Less, Breathe More
I forget things for everything constantly. Drives me nuts.
No fish for me. Last salad? Yesterday, romaine, pecans, apple slices, blue cheese and raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Khushboo
Alternating the speeds definitely makes time fly by on the treadmill…I can’t even the last time I ran at a steady pace indoors!
Cait the Arty Runnerchick
i luv that picture of u finishing there, it is awesome in so many ways! :)
i am always petrified i will get to the line and have even an ounce of urine in me…i kno it has to be mental, but i have to make sure one of the very last things i do is a final dash to the bathroom. as for racing gear/etc. i’m OCD anal to triple check i have it all the night before. :P
Stephanie Z.
I ran my 4th full marathon on Saturday…. without a sports bra. I was 95 miles from home at 11 pm when this horrific discovery was made. I ran all 26.2 in a Victoria’s Secret dream angels one. dirty, disgusting carnage
Jean
The only time I can remember forgetting something major was before a half last year where I forgot my pants. Yep. Fortunately I had brought shorts so it wasn’t the end of the world, but running in 30-degree weather in shorts isn’t really my thing.
Gracie (Complicated Day)
I’ve forgotten to register for a race TWICE. Ha! I was so sure I had registered earlier. I guess that was proof that I was running too many races. I couldn’t even remember which ones I had registered online for!
Kari @ Running Ricig
For races, I usually forget throwaway layers for cold days and end up freezing until we line up at the start.
I can’t remember the last time I had fish. Mike hates it, so I only really have it if we are going out to eat.
Monica
Brooke looks JUST like the Gerber Baby in that close-up picture! :)
Kay
What a cute hoodie she is wearing!!