Psychology vs. Physiology: The Art of Interval Training

Ok, so I think over the past several blogs you've got the idea that I think running is hard. I mean, you haven't just gotten that impression, I've stated it enough for you to know that for me, it's true.

Luckily, I am very head strong in my workouts. I've also come to know myself well enough that I can actually manipulate me! :) My head game is, just put your shoes on and get out the door. The first couple miles I'm thinking, "God, this hard... I'm going to quit after the first 2.5 mile loop. After I finish the first loop, I think, just keep going around the block one more time. Then I keep going, and once I get within a couple miles of my goal, I'm able to finish in a good state of mind.

Those types of runs don't really help me run faster, though... which is what I really would like. As I've stated before, in my quest for running faster, I talk to people that know what they're talking about... and I know they do because they can run fast. The latest was last week, talking to David. David's son, Caleb, is getting a lot of attention for his track and cross country records, and as a Junior in high school, is ranked second in the state. David uses Jack Daniels' running formula (no, that's not a drink!) to coordinate his own and Caleb's workouts, so not that that would apply to me... the concepts do apply, to anyone.

Last week David was telling me to try interval workouts... warm up for one or two miles (how ever long it takes you to warm up), run as hard as you can for three minutes, rest for one minute, and repeat for ten intervals (or start with a lower number and work up). They key is to only recover for one minute, no fudging, and this is where a lot of people falter. (Let me just say that I know this methodology isn't supported by everyone, and some prefer to use heart rate as an indicator of recovery.) The point I want to make is that during the three minute all outs, every fiber of your (or my) being is saying "Stop! I can't do this any longer! I said STOP, damn it!" And to do it time and time again, it really takes fortitude to keep going. Over several workouts your mind begins to more readily grasp the fact that YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE!

Physiologically, the payout from these types of running workouts is well documented. Even though they are shorter in milage and time spent, they correlate to running faster over longer distances.

So since I'm on a run (and that pun was really not intended!) with ending my posts with my favorite sayings, I'll end this with another: "The only way to run faster, is to run faster."