My step by step SPEED routine & THAT was way too lucky.

Skye was wearing her Garmin yesterday too.

I had one of those speed workouts where you feel like things are starting to click and that felt really good.  I was on my own for the workout but BECK SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT (and so did Skye) which I think really helped me to feel good.

The workout was a 2.2 mile w/u with 7 x 1k (.62 miles) with equal recoveries (about 4 minutes except for the last one was a bit longer) and then a short c/d for a total of 10 miles.  My pace for the 1k intervals averaged out at 6:08 pace which I was thrilled about.  I did this workout a month ago and averaged 6:11 pace… I celebrate EVERY second of progress.

I thought today would be a great day to go over some of the things I like to do for speed workouts and I’d love to hear what you do too.

I always eat something before a speed workout (and every run).  Yesterday I had two slices of banana bread (I always eat from the center of the loaf ha) and about 20 ounces of water.  My thirst is still out of control with breastfeeding because normally I wouldn’t drink that much before a speed workout.  If I’m not breastfeeding then I always have a nanohydr8 (my favorite caffeine for running) about 20 minutes before a workout too.

Before I start the w/u, I do some squats to wake up my glutes.  My glutes love to be as lazy as possible when I run so I really try to fire them up so they do their job and don’t rely on my hamstrings and quads to do all of the work.

Once I get to where I am going to start I do dynamic stretches (aka I used to do this every time but then haven’t for a while but I’m starting this tradition again because I need it).  These are some of my favorites.  If I have shoes to change into (ie I do the w/u in normal trainers and then switch to speed shoes), this is when I do that!

At this point it’s easy to talk yourself out of doing the workout and just continuing to run easy.  So… I don’t think.  I just start.  I think about anything and everything else on the planet besides running and the second I finish these stretches, I get to work.  Don’t procrastinate, don’t think about how many reps you have to do.  Just start the first one and only think about the interval you are currently in at the time.  No need to worry about what is up ahead, I try to really stay in the moment.

You can program the workout into your watch (I have a tutorial on how to do that here) or these days I just use the lap button on my watch during a speed workout.  I push the lap button as soon as I start the interval and then as soon as the interval is over (unless I am doing mile intervals… my watch is set to naturally lap at 1 mile so I just lap it at the start of the mile repeats if that is what I am doing).

I do not care at all about what my pace is for my w/u, c/d or recoveries.  Those paces don’t matter (in my opinion).  I take them easy and slow so I can smash the intervals.  The magic is in the speed portion, not wasting energy running a fast warmup etc.

These days during the interval I think a lot about pushing my hips forward.  Doing this helps me to activate my glutes and it helps my form so that I am standing tall.  It also makes it so I have to make sure my legs keep up with my hips ha.  I repeat to myself pickup pickup pickup and I avoid looking at my watch too often.  My speed workouts go so much better when I focus on effort rather than pace.  If I know I’m doing the best I can in the moment, that’s all that matters but if I’m staring at my watching thinking I should be going faster or about how I used to be faster then I’m going to have a miserable workout.

These speed workouts are where we are learning how to cope with discomfort.  We gain so much from not giving up and proving to ourselves that we can do hard things and that’s what makes the magic happen on race day.

DO NOT FORGET—> get some fuel in asap after you finish!  Help your body to repair itself faster by giving it what it needs.  I love Kodiakcakes (I add in milk and an egg to get even more protein into the mix) after my run.

I had a very lucky moment during my run.  I was doing an interval and I stepped on a rock that was probably 2 inches tall and I somehow didn’t sprain my ankle.  I landed right on top of it in the center of my foot so I balanced on top of it.  I felt very lucky that I didn’t trip/sprain my ankle.  I need to watch the road a bit more.

PS I definitely told my brother I did a different workout than what I did to scare him but I think he was truthful about what he recently did… (if you missed the post a few days ago, we are racing each other soon).

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The best is when the girls are waiting in the front window for me.  These window crayons are used pretty much daily over here.

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Our morning together after Brooke went to school summed up in one picture.

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Stopped by my sister’s house for a bit.

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Followed by some time at a park!

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And more time at home:)

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Andrew was gone for a training which meant there was an even lower chance of me cooking.  My air fryer saved the day again… and half way through the meal I realized Skye was dipping her red peppers in ketchup.

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Do you use caffeine for workouts or races?  What do you use?

Had any good luck with anything in your life recently… do tell!

Anything you do for speed workouts that help you?

Tell me something you are thankful for today!

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20 comments

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I will do some caffeine before a race, and occasionally before a run, but for the most part I haven’t gotten in too much of a habit with it! Probably because I just don’t want to plan ahead. :-)

I am SO glad you didn’t hurt your ankle! That’s a great reminder to glance at the ground sometimes; definitely a balancing act of keeping your head up and keeping track of the ground. I’m very thankful today for AC at work . . . mine broke at home, and it was HOT!

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Hey Kristin! Haha I agree, the planning ahead part makes me not do things too:) Thank you, I was SO relieved that I didn’t totally fall because of it! I hope you are able to get your AC at home fixed asap. Enjoy the cool air at work today. Thanks friend!

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Ohh you reminded me I need to order more nanohydr8!!! I LOVE THAT STUFF!!!
I also need to make banana bread today. That looks amazing.
I did have good luck. I had to get a babysitter for my race last Sunday because my husband was working, and I went to bed Saturday night thinking all was good (I asked the babysitter 4k times to confirm). Woke up Sunday morning to a text that she had to cancel. I was SO upset. My husband told me he would call into work so he could watch the kids. Turns out, he had actually taken the morning off to come cheer me on. I didn’t get a cheer crew (it’s a bad course to bring kids because there are very little spots to cheer) but I did get to run the race!! I will call that good luck! I suppose that’s what I’m also thankful for. ;)
Dang rock, I’m so glad you didn’t sprain your ankle!! Those things are so sneaky!

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Yes yes yes, load up on the nano! I can’t wait to use it again. Enjoy that banana bread! Your stomach must have dropped when you got the text from the sitter! I am SO glad that your husband had already taken the morning off and that you could go RUN! The amount of planning that goes into running/racing as a mom is intense! Thanks Mollie, have a great day!

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I need to try squats before running- good idea! I warm up and do dynamic stretches before speed. And I use a mantra to help me focus and stay in the moment.

I am thankful for spring weather! And slower mornings when I can eat breakfast at home and read the news.

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Hey Mariah! YES, try the squats.. it really wakes things up for me. I love what you are thankful for, I am right there with you! Have a beautiful spring day!

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Thankful for…the running group I started in 2019 started back up after a several months hiatus and we meet at a new place. We had to switch because our original restaurant location was so tiny and it’s hard to distance and not take up all their tables. The new place is awesome, and we had 16 people show up for the first night! I know we may have less than that at several runs, but I am thrilled it went so well! The run was hard though, as I usually run solo, so running and talking with the front group caught up to me, so I hung back and ran it in with a friend. We hit 84 degrees yesterday, pretty humid, and EVERYTHING is coated in pollen, so I know that didn’t make the run any easier. I was just so happy that it went so well. And the restaurant is called Naked River (a brewery and BBQ place) so instead of just our previous name “River Runners” we are now Naked River Runners. we put an * on the poster saying “clothes required”, ha! Although some joked it will be hot enough this summer to consider running naked!

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Loribeth! You are amazing. How cool that you started that and now you are brightening so many people’s running life. I am so glad you could find a new place that works out so well! 84 degrees already and humidity, I would have died! Wish I could come and hahah that poster is awesome!

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i use good, old-fashioned coffee as my pre-workout. my system is so used to it that it doesn’t give me an upset stomach (honestly, i’m not sure my organs could function without coffee!!).

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I was just going to type the same thing. I probably could do water and coffee at an aid station at this point.

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I think you two need to combine forces and make this happen!

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Erica, I think you’re on to something with a coffee aid station!!!!

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Hi Janae! I’m off to do speed soon so these tips are timely! One thing I haven’t tried is doing dynamic stretches after the warmup and before the speed portion so I’ll try that out today.
I’m grateful that my parents are fully vaccinated now and soon I will be too so I can see them!
Happy Thursday!

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GO AMY GO! I hope your speed workout today goes so well and I am THRILLED to hear that about your parents. Cannot wait for you to hug them! Happy Thursday to you Amy!

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That waffle with the banana looks amazing! I’m so glad you had a good run and were able to avoid the sprained ankle! It’s so scary when stuff like that happens!

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Thank you so much Lauren! I hope your day is a great one!

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Hello from NZ! Wanted to say thanks for the post about shoes, I was a Brooks fan years ago then switched to Nike. The Nike Pegasus 37s have gotten worse and worse outer sole wise each pair I’ve brought, so following your post I brought some Hyperion Tempo’s. I did a speed workout in them yesterday and they were unlike anything else, a total dream! I plan to buy some Ghosts now too :)

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Caroline! I can’t thank you enough for telling me this. It made me SO happy. The Hyperion Tempo’s are just incredible and you’ll have to let me know what you think of the Ghosts! Hope you are having a beautiful day friend.

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Yay thanks Janae! I just (naughtily) ordered the Ghosts – so will wait to receive them next week and try them out! Interestingly, Brooks AU/NZ site does not have the Brooks Run Happy Promise. I recall they used to have it, and can see the US still has it. Pity as these days stores don’t carry much stock and I think the 90 day returns policy is a really good way to encourage people to try a new brand/it can be risky to try a new shoe. As an ambassador for Brooks I wanted to pass that on. Thanks a lot, I’m a long time follower I look forward to catching up with you every morning x

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I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO GET THEM! That is really hard… I will absolutely let them know. THANK YOU friend and please keep in touch! Maybe someday I can come run with you in NZ:)

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