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Today’s speed work was called 200’s, and it’s staggeringly hard work, very similar to the beep test, but with a little recovery time at each end.

What we had to do was split into 3 groups, with one group (group b) walking 200m away from groups a & c. The idea, once this has been achieved, is that group a runs to group b, when a reaches b, a stops and b runs to c. Thereafter whenever a group finishes a run, the next group starts, so each runner has a 200m run, with 2x the duration of a 200m run for recovery.

The runner concentrates on getting maximum stride length but not speed, running at about 70% of maximum, but with a stride length more than twice as long as normal jogging - which is more of a shuffle.

Well, after 10 x 200m my shins were in pieces, so, acutely aware that I have to be ready on a single date, I stopped immediately and hobbled back to the car for a stretch.

The moral - speed work is ok for experienced runners & athletes, but I don’t believe it helps “beginners” to the same extent & when time is short and the goal cannot slip I question it’s place in the training schedule.

Last night, Em & I agreed, no more speed work until after the marathon.