Scedastic: keep in mind my speed is other people's slow. I'm not really trying to be that fast. The goal is to get down to around 8mm for an hour's run. I'm pretty sure I can get there in a month or two once I can return to my present weekly routine: one or two LSD runs, one tempo, and one intervals and hills. It already feels a lot better to be around 9mm or less for my longer tempo runs. I like longer runs a lot too, and would like to get in at least one 8-10 miler a week, but I will enjoy them more when I'm able to run a bit faster and feel a slightly greater range of motion in my limbs. And I'm 6'1" so what I feel in terms of range of motion is probably a minute per mile faster than for most women or shorter men. There's some science to justify all this, as you may have heard me blab about, but mostly I'm doing it because I enjoy it. I really like the meditative quality of a nice, steady long(ish) run, but I also enjoy the mild challenge of exerting myself a bit and feeling a bit wiped out afterwards, just once a week or so. .......
Man, it's terrible not to be running in this gorgeous fall weather though, I have to say.
Totally! My lightening speed is another person's hardly moving. It is all relative.
I like the speed work, too, and can't wait to get back to it.
I just think it's interesting how different running/trainign methods work so differently on different people (and at different times). For right now, I'm fascinated that any kind of speed kills my shins, but there I go, lollygagging along at a snails pace, and then it goes forever no problem. I wonder what woudl be happening, though, if I had started my summer doing speedwork and shorter distances each week.
You, on the other hand, feel like your body rejects certain low speeds and that's where you get hurt, but pushing it feels easy on your body.
Lots of variability in running/training/individuals. Either way, with everything we do, and any time we get off our tuffs, we are building strength.
For me, I think I would have been ok w/ once/week speed, but the garmin taught me I was trying to up the pace about a mile/min on all my runs at once, so my 9:30 short/medium runs were coming in all of a sudden at 8-8:30; the very hilly half marathon I did averaging 9:30, but did 8mins on the last few miles (slower start and too much enthusiasm at the end). Previous long runs were in the 10:30-11 range.
My problem is that when I decide I like something, I really really like it and do it till, well, my body says NO.
I'm more trying what dama said earlier----do what your body is telling you is good, if it's fast, go fast, if it says slow, then slow.
And for you, I hope that happens soon soon soon. We have more autumn left.
Get that knee untweaked.