Speeding takes time

Training for speed will become a large part of the regimen as my coach, Jason Warick, and myself move toward choosing a peak race for the fall. It’s not time to do that yet, but it is time to start playing with some thoughts on it.

I know it won’t be a marathon. This block of training is about building speed and learning about myself as a runner and what distances I will race best. It may be the 10K, it could be the marathon, maybe it’s the half, or perhaps we learn I’m fit for 5,000m. I’m staying open to the possibilities.

The top distance runners can pretty much do it all. In the past month, two of America’s top female distance runners, who in recent years have been focused on the marathon, took to the track.

Two-time Olympian Kara Goucher ran 5,000m in 15:40 last weekend at the Portland Track Festival, a solid time under any circumstances but more impressive considering she’s been away from the track for nearly two years. The 36-year-old mother tweeted prior to the race: “Oh how I’ve missed this moment. So fun to be back. Lots of work to do, but excited to have a starting point.”

The time she came out with wasn’t a PB, but she kept the training race in perspective, tweeting “15:40 never felt so good! Thanks for all the love and support!”

Kara is an excellent example of versatility, making the 2008 Olympic team in the 5,000m and 10,000m and then the 2012 Olympic team in the marathon.

Then there’s Des Linden, who just a month and a half after placing fourth at the Boston Marathon was hammering it out on the track running a 15:27 at the Adrian Martinez Classic for a second-place finish.

Both athletes have moved more toward focusing on the marathon in recent years, but these shorter races keep them sharp and fast, which is important when racing at any distance.

Training for speed is a challenge, but it’s also fun. This weekend I got a taste of what’s to come. Up until this point it’s been very much about building a solid foundation. That will continue, but the intensity of the training is picking up.

This week I’ll be choosing the distance I’ll run for a training race in mid-July — the River Run Classic here in Saskatoon. I’m looking forward to tough workouts in the coming weeks but I’m keeping it all in perspective: this is a training race not an all-out race. The training we’re putting in over the next weeks and months is all about the big picture.