Sunday, December 17, 2017

Speed Workouts


Wessinghage, Thomas. Running: Detailed Advice on Equipment, Technique, Training, Competitive Running, and Sports Medicine. Barron's Educational Series, 2001.


While reading the book "Running: Detailed Advice on Equipment, Technique, Training, Competitive Running, and Sports Medicine" by Thomas Wessinghage, I found out to employ different speed workouts to put into my running.

According to the book, "Speed workouts are challenging in different ways than long runs, but, like your high-mileage days, they can be enormously satisfying. With elevated endorphins, you'll find that running fast is exhilarating and can provide a big boost in fitness when it's a part of a well-developed training program" (Wessinghage, 42). For my activity, I employed speed workout into my running.

I had used mile repeats in my workout, "3 x mile at goal 5K pace within a 2-minute jog recovery" (Wessinghage, 43).

While running around my block, I did a cycle of 1 mile at my 5K pace (5000 meters) and underwent a light jog for two minutes afterwards, in a repeat of three times. As I performed the activity, I had to push myself physically to keep up with my required 5K pace, a challenge I knew I had to keep pace during off-season.

At the end of the third set, resting a little bit made me feel relieved and happy about what I accomplished. I had found a way to incorporate speed workouts into my training and surprised at how effective it was at preparing my body for more running. During practice in XC, the coach had mentioned this technique but it never sunk in as much until now to use it in my daily exercises.

I had always loved running and I always feel a certain exhilaration when I run, similar to how the author felt. After the run, I felt refreshed. I'm eager to work out with my newfound tips and repeat it more consistently! To me, running was a way for me to relieve stress and find joy in my activity.

Have you ever done something that made you feel happy and all your worries go away?


Jog at 5K pace for a mile
Recovery jog for 2 minutes

                  

3 comments:

  1. Hey Aaron! For me, when I sing (though I'm not very good) all my problems seem to go away. When I'm having a rough day, I just listen to music and get myself to sing, and then I feel instantly better. Music just makes me really happy. I also like to listen to music when I run. I can't sing though - I get too out of breath :)!

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  2. Hi Aaron, I agree, sports such as running or volleyball can make someone feel happier. However, I never knew the exact science behind it like you explained in your writing. Really interesting, this was a great read.

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  3. Hi Aaron, I really like your blog post, I learned a lot from it. For me, playing soccer, playing video games, or even something simple such as listening to music can get me focused and entertained which causes my stress to go away.

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