September 24, 2014 (Updated November 8, 2022)

This Week’s Running Adventures

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

23 comments

Morning, friends! I’m so glad you liked the looks of my Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bites recipe from yesterday! Let me know how you like them if you try them out – either as an afternoon snack or as long run fuel! 🙂

So, you know what’s awesome? Fall has officially arrived as far as the weather is concerned. I had two great morning runs so far this week and what a difference cooler temps makes!

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I took a rest day on Monday so by Tuesday I was feeling fresh and ready to run. I met up with my friend Ashley for some morning miles in the beautiful weather.

We ran out towards Falls Church on the Custis Trail. Highlight: this fox (!!) that we spotted! That’s not something you see on every run…

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We did a chatty and SUPER hilly 5 miles. Hi, something I hadn’t worn in ages: running gloves! Also please note the fall-ish leaves. Yay!

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Thanks for the great run, Ashley! 🙂

This morning, I was up and out even earlier for my standing 6 a.m. Wednesday track date with Chelsea! It was pitch black at the track – lame. This picture made everything look bright!

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We decided to mix things up with our track workouts and alternate between super short and fast speed work and longer, sustained speed work. Next week, we’ll go back to sprinting the straights, jogging the curves. As for this morning, we decided to mix it up and do 400’s!

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A “400” is just one lap around the track, or 1/4 mile. So for example if a speed workout says 6×400, that means 6 laps around the track at a specific pace, depending what you’re going for, usually with a brief recovery jog or walk in between.

We did a 1/2 mile warm up, then started on the 400’s and finished with another 1/2 mile cool down at the end, totaling 4 miles. In between each 400, we jogged a half lap to recover. We didn’t have a specific pace in mind for the 400’s, just aimed to do a hard but not totally insane pace. I’m sure as we get faster we’ll start coming up with specific time goals, but for now, this worked!

Splits:

  • Mile 1: 8:33
  • Mile 2: 8:07
  • Mile 3: 8:10
  • Mile 4: 8:16

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We got a gorgeous pink sunrise near the end of our workout. It only lasted for about a minute and then the sun disappeared into the clouds!

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Thanks for another great speed sesh, Chelsea, and happy early birthday! See you next week! 🙂

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And now, back to work! I’ve got a large to-do list for the day amidst a bunch of AnneTheRD client meetings, so I’d better get after it.

What’s your favorite speed workout? We’d love some tips/new ideas!

- anne

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23 comments
  • Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment
    I love sprint workouts with speed and running drills. Depth drops and box jumps are also great. You can usually find a bench or something along those lines that works depending on the location. Have a good day!
    Reply
  • Dietitian Jess
    It was super chilly yesterday morning, I forgot to bring gloves :( Question: if your hands get too warm do you store them somewhere or just leave them on? Last winter I bought $1 gloves and threw them away if I got too warm but was considering in investing in actual running gloves this winter. Your sprint workouts are motivating, I'm trying to improve my half marathon time this fall so thanks for sharing your speed work runs!
    Reply
    • Anne
      I just take them off and hold them, like I was doing in the photo, or if I have a hydration pack on I stick them in there.
      Reply
      • Tina@GottaRunNow
        When I warm up, I safety-pin my gloves to my waist band. Works great! Seeing wild animals when I'm out running is one of my favorite things about running outside. Looks like a fun running week!
        Reply
  • Amanda @ SlimplifyLife
    My favorite speed workout is on the treadmill and upping my pace by 0.1 every half mile. The treadmill keeps me honest so I can't slow down =)
    Reply
    • Anne
      Crushing it! :)
      Reply
  • Molly
    I often see fox during my morning runs. It's always so exciting to spot them! There was extra excitement when a baby fox playfully chased me through a park.
    Reply
    • Anne
      Oh man! Too cute, although I might have been a little scared!
      Reply
  • Carrie (This Fit Chick)
    I MUCH prefer speed workouts! I just posted my favorite HIIT routine on my blog, although it has to be done on the treadmill, because they are SHORT and FAST sprints!
    Reply
  • Kate @KateMovingForward
    I can't believe you saw a fox and got that great picture! So beautiful! Seeing your speed sessions are so motivating!
    Reply
  • Alex @ Get Big, Go To Work
    Beautiful sunrise picture! These cooler temps are most definitely welcomed. I love track workouts for speed too. We typically do something that looks a little like this:400-300-200-100-5x200-3x100,jump rope and a 500 cool down. We usually do the 200s and 100s between 80-95% effort because of the shorter distances.
    Reply
  • RFC
    It pains me that I cannot see a picture of a fox without immediately busting out into "What does the fox say?" song and dance in my head. *sigh*
    Reply
    • Anne
      Lol! Aaaand now that will be in my head the rest of the day. ;)
      Reply
  • Laura Smith
    I have been loving the cooler weather as well. I do miss being able to run at 5:30, as it is too dark now. But soon the clocks will turn...
    Reply
  • Kirtley @ The Gist of Fit
    Ya know, I don't think even seeing a fox and an amaaaazing colorful sky could get me to do speed workouts on a track haha, I'm such a wimp when it comes to that!
    Reply
  • Nessa @ Ness Runs
    I'm not the best when it comes to speed-work - something I really need to work on! But I do like doing mile repeats on some of my runs just to mix them up :)
    Reply
  • Rae
    I'm so bad about speed workouts. I'm totally intimidated by the track!
    Reply
  • Heidi
    One of my favorite speed workouts is to do 400s, but speed up after each 100. We typically start at race pace and then you are pretty much sprinting by the last 100. Then slow jog/recover for 200 and do it 4 or more times. It's a killer!
    Reply
  • Roadrunner
    Well done on the speed work! Always hard to do... Favorite speed workout? Mile warmup; 8X400s, with a jog-400 in between each hard-400; mile cooldown. If you really push on the hard 400s, this is a very tough workout!
    Reply
  • Nicole
    Aww you saw a fox! How cute is that?! -Nicole
    Reply
  • Caroline
    Wow! You hit all my favorite places to run around Arlington! The Custis Trail is my absolute favorite; it's so gorgeous and green and hilly and awesome! You're also inspiring me to do a track workout, haven't done one in forever!
    Reply