SpeedPass: Running as Sport

Bill N

The first season of the Flyers new speedwork program, called SpeedPass, has made running a lot more fun and interesting for me. I took up running later in life, and my first formal coached running was with the previous Flyers speedwork program.  

When training with the prior speedwork program, workouts were almost always all-out short intervals, and I carried that all-out approach over to my long runs. It wasn’t improving my race times and it seemed that the program was due for some changes to reinvigorate it.

The variety and camaraderie in SpeedPass are the main attractions for me. Each week, we do one prescribed workout with the group and one prescribed workout on our own. Instead of always all-out, as a group we will run “easy” (for warm-up and cool-down together) “threshold” and “interval” paces.  

Coaches Brian and Joe provide each runner with goal paces based on our current fitness levels as demonstrated at recent races and from how we handle our prescribed work-outs, so they keep us honest. We do the group workout in a wave of runners with similar paces, so we get to know our wave pretty well (I’m slowest in the wave, so I get to know their behinds pretty well). During the “easy” warm-ups and cool-downs, which we do religiously, we actually talk to each other, a new experience for me when running!  

Conversational Pace, With Actual Conversation
-On Easy Run to the Week's Workout Spot-

Depending on the pace, the distances vary accordingly from 150 meter (e.g., for hill repeats), to longer distances such as or quarter mile repeats, or repeat loops of the upper or lower loops of the park, as well as tempo runs for one or more miles. And the coaches mix it up, such as hill repeats at the end of a threshold run.  

Rehydrating After a Challenging Workout

With the workout that we do on our own, the assignment may get even more creative. When I was directed to run 200 meter intervals at V02 max pace in the middle of a five mile run, I did mine on top of the Queensboro Bridge, which has a nice flat stretch with great views at the top. We regularly get assigned longer distances that I would not normally do at this time of year (e.g., 13 miles), but they’re also at a slower pace than I would ever run in keeping with the training principles of the program, so I do the distance.   

I find that I’m anticipating Sunday evening so I can learn what the assigned workouts are for that week. Running’s has again become a sport for me.

-Bill N.