Now that I am back in full scale half marathon training, the speed work is back in effect! At home, I usually do my speed workouts on a treadmill. Doing the workouts on a treadmill makes it easier for me to keep a consistent pace and make sure I am staying there for the duration of the interval. Since I am away this week, my weekly speed work session had to occur on the road. This was definitely a different experience for me, and I was worried about keeping on pace for my intervals.
I didn’t have the Garmin 305 yet, so I relied on my iPhone GPS app for distance and pacing. I actually convinced my husband to go along on the run with me (this occurs about as often as a lunar eclipse). Because he hadn’t run since the CVS Downtown 5K in September, and I REALLY wanted a running buddy, I didn’t tell him I was doing intervals or that the run would be a six miler!
Being the great sport that he is, he ran the two mile warm up and the first 5 minute interval with me. Is it bad that it gives me a perverse sense of satisfaction to know that I am a faster runner than my husband?
I was on my own for the next twenty-five minutes of the workout. Surprisingly, I felt really strong and powered through the rest of the workout staying as close to the pacing as I could with my GPS app. I really enjoyed doing the workout on the road, and in my book, the road beats the treadmill any day. I think doing the workouts on the road was also great for simulating what it feels like during a race.
I will definitely be doing more speed work on the road, especially now that I have the trusty 305 to help me with pacing and distance!
Do you do your speed work on the track, the treadmill, or the road?
During the winter if there’s snow/ice on the ground, I’ll do my speedwork on a treadmill.
However during the summer months I’ll generally do my speed sessions (what I define as anything 400m or less) on the track.
I like to do speedwork on the treadmill in winter too! Keeps the ‘dreadmill boredom at bay 🙂