Speedwork

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” -I Cor. 9:24

As I mentioned last week, I'm training for a 10 K race in June. I'm using one of Hal Higdon's plans for advanced runners. I want to run this in less than 45 min (7:15 pace). To accomplish this goal I have to incorporate speedwork into my training program. There are definitions for all the different types of runs I am supposed to follow on the training webpage above. However, I want to give a more general overview of different types of speedwork that I have been exposed to over the years.
These are a few main types of speedwork: intervals, fartleks, tempo runs, race pace runs, and even hill workouts. Some people may consider hill workout strictly a strength workout, not speedwork. But this is my blog, so I'm grouping it into speedwork.

Intervals and fartleks
These are all variations on a similar theme. You go fast, then slow, then fast, then slow, etc... In my mind, intervals (aka - repeats) are based on distance and fartleks are based on time.
In a typical interval workout, you'll have a set amount of a certain distance (ie - 4x400) and you'll go out to the track and run a fast 400, then walk or jog for about 200-400 m, run another fast 400 and so on until you've completed four fast 400s. Usually you are aiming to get these quarters done in a certain amount of time. I aim for 90 seconds. Some people go by there fastest mile pace. I'm not sure if I could run a 6 min mile right now, but after doing these repeats for a few weeks, I probably will be able to.
You'll probabaly only want to do one (maybe two) interval workout(s) a week and increase the amount of intervals weekly. So, in week one, you'll do 4x400, then week two you'll do 5x400, etc...
In a fartlek workout, you'll do basically the same thing as above, but using an amount of time as the goal, not a distance. If you're training for a 10K run, you might run at your 5K pace for 1 min then jog for 30 sec. You could then run at the fast pace for 2 min then jog for 30 s. Another variation to really make this be speedplay is to have a friend/coach hold a whistle and you just start running fast when they first blow the whistle then slow down upon their second whistle blow. This was one of my favorite workouts during high school cross country. Not knowing what was coming next really made it go by quickly for me.
For both of these types of workouts, you can do "ladders." This is where you gradually increase the distance/time at each interval, then gradually decrease it. And example of a ladder interval workout would be to run intervals of 200, 300, 400, 600, 800, 600, 400, 300, 200. You peak in the middle at the longest distance of 800 m. To make this workout more intense, don't increase your rest time as the intervals get longer.

CLIFFHANGER!!
In an effort to keep my blogs not too long, I'll write about tempo runs/race pace runs and hill workouts next week.

Training:
M: 3.75 mi (tempo), 30:59.12
T: 2.57 mi (easy), 21:34.03
W: Speedwork, 1 mi warmup, 6x400 (97 s, 95 s, 93 s, 92 s, 96 s, 90 s), 1 mi cooldown
My shins were really hurting my Wed morning, so I took Thurs off (I was supposed to run an easy 3 mi
F: 5 mi (2 mi at race pace), 39:58.21; I ran the fast 2 mi in 13:28.56. This is the fastest I have EVER run 2 mi! I was so excited that I beat my high school PR (13:42).
S: 3.46 mi (stroll through the neighborhood), 56:43.15