Summer of Speed!

While the first day of summer is still around the corner, the temps here sure make it feel like summer! I spoke about building my running base over this summer and I’m pleased to say that it’s going well! Since I’ve been able to run while continuing my strength training, I’m going to bump it up a notch. Hence today’s post: summer of speed!

Ever since I picked up strength training, my speed has been on the back burner. I would consider myself a middle of the pack runner and could always run a 5k with a decent time. However, I want to get back to my speedy miles. Of course, most of my speed came in the summer I was training for a marathon. Logging in all those miles made it to where I naturally got faster. Now that my training has shifted a bit, I want to see if I’m able to get back to that without running hundreds of miles a month.

I currently don’t have any long races on my schedule so a chance for a 5k PR is perfect right now. It’s a short distance and it’s also a tough distance because you have to run it all HARD. My last PR for this distance was over three years ago. It was a flat out and back course and if everything goes well, I’ll race that course again this year. Since I’m working on a 5k that means my training will shift towards more intervals/speed training. I’ll mix in some hill training just for a bit of resistance but I’m looking forward to the change. Also with this Texas heat, it helps to have a treadmill so I don’t get burnt to a crisp every run.

What about you? Do you have any specific fitness goals for the summer?