Day 201: Speed Endurance (3×2x185m)

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Disclaimer: By doing my workouts and blogging it online here, I’m not seeking attention, nor am I an exhibitionist. I’m the type that follow-through my training much better if I put it in writing. I workout because I can, and I love doing so. Do not try to emulate my training program, I bear no responsibility if you do so. I’m no role-model, not your papa, mama, your soulmate, or someone you can look-up to, nor am I’m a national athlete … I am just a NOBODY. So just leave me be.

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Finally it’s Saturday, the last day of my easy training week. Albeit it’s my final training day this morning, there was a certain hesitation and trepidation for today’s workout as it’s speed endurance.

Well for those clueless, speed endurance yes it maybe a short workout, but in that session itself, it is a terribly ‘painful’ training where you’re running near to full effort, with little rest time at each runs.

It will train your lactic tolerance, harnessing, and working on sustaining your speed longer when sprinting. It’s been awhile since I did such a training, perhaps nearly two years, so I thought why not start today.

Republic Polytechnic Stadium – View Larger Map

Before today’s training log, let’s recap on my previous day training outcome. I woke up today with aches all over my body. Not surprising, as I had weights yesterday.

My traps aches the most, but to my delight, my lower left leg tenderness has gotten better. It doesn’t feel as bad as previously, but still I’ll be wearing my ankle guard to minimize any hard impact on it.

The thing about working out in the morning is that, for me my body likens that of a rusty machine. Stiff, and creaky until it’s properly lubricate and oiled. Personally I prefer to train in the evening, but I’m alright with morning workouts, but I need plenty of warmup.

Sometimes you need to train in the morning so as to get used to the weather, to simulate competition days that is being held in the morning.

Workout of the Day

1) Dynamic Warmup

2) Drills

3) 3×2x185m
85-95% effort
I ran with trainers
Rest time 2 minutes per rep
Rest time 5 minutes per set
Set #1 – 26.9s, 26.3s
Set #2 – 27.0s, 26.3s
Set #3 – 26.4s, 27.4s
Average set ~ 26.7s

I left my place around 8am, unsure if the Republic Polytechnic track will be open today. If it isn’t I’ve to improvise, and I’ll likely train at the nearby carpark. But to my delight, it was opened. At the stadium, I read the information board, for Saturdays, the track opening hours are between 8am to 10pm. Sundays and public holidays, the complex will be closed.

Well there was nobody around the stadium when I arrived, again to my delight. Still I prefer to train from any prying eyes, so I took the far end spot of the stadium for my warmup.

Usually warmup for me when I start out my training, it’s usually dynamic warmup, meaning I keep on moving, jogging, running, swinging my arms and such, with little stretching. It’s not that stretching is bad, but I usually do that at the end of my training.

For me personally, if I were to stretch plenty for my warmup, my joints just feels odd. Imagine trying to stretch a cold versus warm object. The cold object would more likely to snap right, rather than the warmer object.

It’s been nearly two years since I did this dynamic routine followed by drills. I was still competing then, and now despite not sprinting much anymore, when I resumed such warmup and drills, it is as if I never left.

I remembered every single specific warmup and drills, which was cool. Albeit a little older now, slightly stiffer, and slower in movements, it is as if I was still back in my glory days.

Well for the actual workout itself, the first set was rather easy. I don’t actually know the pace to run, but it is 85-95 per cent effort. Plus I’m unsure of the actual distance of this stadium. My approximation is 185m, and if half a lap today I ran was around 26 seconds, and based on my past running performance, oh boys that’s pretty slow.

But I’m alright with the slow timing, I’m getting old anyway, as long the effort is there, I have hit my intended training goal in mind. As I iterate, the first set was a breeze. The 2 minute rest time after the first run, well I recovered under 1 minute.

It’s when I began my second set, and going into the third set, did I feel the lactic acid. My butt was aching, I was panting, and I just wished the training would stop. That’s how you should be feeling when doing speed endurance. I wouldn’t even leave out getting any headaches from such workout, which I was experiencing after the end of the training.

I aimed my timing for the first and second runs between 1 seconds apart, and so far I’ve ran to my plan. If you find that you ran beyond 2 seconds between the first and second runs, you’re better off not running any more sets, as it defeats the training goal in mind.

Well after the workout ended, I actively walked around, it was so tempting to just lie down. Don’t! Walk or jog, rehydrate yourself, or splash some water to cool yourself off.

I continued my active recovery walking to the nearby mall, I skipped the jogging as I was still trying to ensure my lower left leg tenderness ain’t getting any hard impact to it.

At the mall, I stock up on my groceries and took the bus home. And YES this time round I brought an extra non-stinko tshirt to wear after my workout. I can now freely sit in the bus anywhere I want without stinking up the area, haha!