Have you ever noticed that the best runs happen when you’re not forcing them? And it’s usually the same for life.
I like short-interval speed workouts. One to five minutes tops. They’re fun for me. Others like tempo workouts: You know, the 10-30 minutes at threshold slightly faster than half marathon pacing.
Because of my genetics and natural love for speed, I have caught myself many times chasing the faster paces. On many occasions, “I have to run this fast because insert thing” takes up space in my mind rent-free.
Usually, it’s “I have to hit this time to be race-ready in 4 weeks.”
But sometimes it’s “I can’t run slow because that means I’m getting older”.
But one thing I’ve found is that the first interval is rarely the predictor for how the rest of the workout will go.
Even after a 10-15 minute warm-up, my nervous system may not be operating at peak efficiency during the first interval. This gradual adaptation is known as neuromuscular activation, where the nervous system progressively increases its firing rate and motor unit recruitment as exercise intensity rises. Additionally, my brain may be regulating my effort subconsciously through protective mechanisms, possibly making the initial exertion “feel more difficult” to prevent overexertion or injury before my body is fully acclimated to the demands of the workout.
So I’ve stopped chasing speed, and I just let it come to me.
How did I do it so that you could try it for yourself?
1 – The mentally hard way – Don’t look at your watch
Feel it out and trust that you’re most likely going faster than you think. But in that same breath, if you do finish your interval and see your watch says a slower time, don’t sweat it.
This is why it’s the harder way: You’re trusting the process and not freaking out. Easier said than done. If this feels too difficult, try number two (below) first and work towards number one after.
2- Do a “blow out the cobwebs repetition”
This is a rep that’s 25-50% shorter than what you’re going for but at the power, pace or effort that you should be hitting for your intervals.
For example – I like to do anywhere from 5-12 x 400 meters to 1k reps at my current 5k fitness to see where I am in the training block/period.
I’ll do about 50% (for a 1k set, I would do 500m) as my last warmup surge/run-through at whatever feels right. Then, look down and see what the pace/power is. Again, it’s usually faster than I want to run, which means I’m ready. But if it’s slower than what I want, that doesn’t mean I’m not ready; I need to adjust expectations for the first interval and ease into it.
Like most good things in life, this is just a framework: Modify it to your needs. Don’t force it and let it come to you.
