Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

  • Home
  • About
  • Current Gear
  • Race Reports
  • Pregnancy//Baby
  • Travel
  • Bucket List
  • Hikes

November 30, 2011

Building Speed

Some of you may have noticed that I am not the fastest runner on the block. And while I am ok with not being the fastest I would like to be faster. And so enters speed work (duh) you have to practice running faster to race faster. I have been trying to get speed work in a couple times a week in different formats and I am getting a little bit faster! Something that I had to learn for myself was that it should be uncomfortable to improve. You always see elite runners floating by like it’s nothing but if they are pushing it, then they are uncomfortable too.

I had a great speed session yesterday on the treadmill (I can only do speed work on the treadmill or track, I don’t know how people do it on the streets).

Warm up jog – 2 miles
Increase the pace as the hard effort runs get shorter
1×1600 or 9 minutes w/ 400 (4 minutes) easy recovery jog
1×1200 or 7 minutes w/ 400 easy recovery jog
1×800 or 5 minutes w/ 400 easy recovery jog
1×400 or 3 minutes w/ 400 easy recovery jog
Cool down – 1 mile easy jog

It felt really good and I can tell I am improving. I am happy to be seeing results after just one month back to running and with Coach.

Unfortunately I had to cut my cool down short so I could make it to my stress test to see if I had exercise induced asthma. I was put on a treadmill where I had to breath in cold oxygen with my nose plugged and all kinds of sensors hooked up to me.

Source

This is obviously not me but it gives you an idea. The test was not fun, I felt like I was going to pass out, I was drooling and sweating and trying not to fall over. All of that work and the Dr. Couldn’t scope my throat because my nasal passages are too small. BUT the good news is that I do not have asthma, in fact I have great lung function and my heart is healthy and strong =)

After my crappy hospital visit Cory took me here

Yogurtland!

I hadn’t been able to eat at all before the test and I was starving! I loaded myself up and it made my day all better.


Do you do speed work? Have you noticed a difference?

Are you addicted to Fro-Yo? I am so I try not to go too often or it becomes a shame spiral.

Posted by bethcurtis 6 Comments
Filed Under: speed work

Comments

  1. Amanda@runninghood says

    November 30, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    just did some speed today. Felt great. Definitely makes us stronger! Way to go girl! This test sounds like NO Fun!

    Reply
  2. robinbb says

    December 1, 2011 at 1:06 am

    I do speed work at least once a week and have noticed a huge difference this past year. I hate doing it, but I am finally seeing the results I want so will continue.

    I love Fro-Yo. I wish we a place to go to that is closer by.

    Reply
  3. Caratunk Girl says

    December 1, 2011 at 1:32 am

    Speed work TOTALLY helps, you see results quickly!!! I only do it on the street, but I live in the middle of nowhere…I have a flat part of the road marked out in different distances. WOULD be easier on the track (speedwork on TM sounds hellish to me) but I just don’t have one near me.

    Reply
  4. Heather @ Just a Colorado Gal says

    December 1, 2011 at 4:27 am

    I’ve recently started doing a bit of speedwork and I really feel like it’s helping! I’m slow as a snail, and although I’m still not fast, I’ve definitely noticed improvement!

    Reply
  5. big-daddy-diesel says

    December 1, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Speed will come after 8-10 week of consisant training, its tough, but it works, you will see big improvements

    We dont have FroYo

    Reply
  6. Colleen says

    December 1, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    I don’t do speed work as much as I should, but I know that this year I’ll be adding it more. I too, want to get faster and we know that if you want to get faster, you have to train faster! 🙂

    Great news on not having asthma! 🙂 And yay for the yogurt!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Meet Beth

Follow

Search

Instagram

runwithbeth

We are having so much fun learning to ski as a fam We are having so much fun learning to ski as a family! Ski traffic I could do without 🫠
✨2022✨ I can honestly say this was the best ✨2022✨ 

I can honestly say this was the best year of my life. So many adventures. I am loving the ages of these kiddos and cherish our time together. 

Very unsure if we can top this in 2023 but we are sure going to try!
We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄 We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄
Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not h Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not hating winter this year! ❄️
We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the N We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the North Pole and seeing Santa! 

The kids had so much fun and it was way cuter than I was expecting. They said it was better than Disneyland 😂 @northpolecolorado
Happy Halloween!!! Cannon really wanted to be To Happy Halloween!!! 

Cannon really wanted to be Toad from Super Mario this year so we tagged along. 

Scroll to see 2021-> 2020 -> 2019 -> 2018 -> 2017 -> 2016 🎃
We finished up our tour of France with a couple da We finished up our tour of France with a couple days in Disneyland Paris. I love Disney Parks and visiting Disneyland Paris was a dream come true. We had such an amazing time on our entire trip. 

We are trying to plan our next trip. Where is the best place you have ever been? Do you have a favorite trip? I would love to hear about it. My parents say that Ireland was their favorite so UK tops the list currently but Italy or Costa Rica are on the list too.
In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus tour to see the major sights. Our favorites included walking the entire Champs-Élysées and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We missed out on seeing the Catacombs because we didn’t get tickets early enough. c’est la vie, I guess we will have to go back 😉
A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing our trip to France 🫠 better late than never! 

We spent our first day back in Paris with a trip to Versailles. We loved the gardens so much and particularly enjoyed Marie Antoinette’s little farm. The history here is incredible and the opulence overwhelming. We walked over 10 miles on our visit!
Before our long drive back to Paris we did the thr Before our long drive back to Paris we did the three castle hike in Ribeauvillé, France. We climbed up the side of a hill to three castle ruins from the 14th century. It was really fun to explore and a great way to burn some energy before a long drive.
While we were in the Alsace region of France we vi While we were in the Alsace region of France we visited the sweet little village of Riquewihr. Rumor says this was the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s Beaty and the Beast. Can you see it? We could and kept singing Bonjour while walking through town.
After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colma After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colmar. This sweet little town in the Alsace region of France near the German border. We loved all the half timber buildings and winding streets. We had some great local food and wine. Colmar was a lovely place to get lost for an afternoon.
It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person. The peak was never fully clear of clouds while we were there which was a little disappointing but it was still majestic . We took a cog train and gondola up then hiked about five miles down on the five lakes trail. It was a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lunch mid hike. We loved the little (car free) town of Zermatt. We enjoyed some fun Swiss playgrounds in town before dinner. I love Switzerland and it’s mountains!
With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a go With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a gondola and cable car up Le Brévent. We enjoyed hot chocolates and crepes at the top with views of Mont Blanc. 

Next it was time to drive on to Switzerland 🇨🇭
We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Cha We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Chamonix to Montenvers to visit the Mer de Glace  glacier. At the top you can take a gondola a little way down then MANY stairs to the glacier. It was sad to see the markers of where the glacier was in years past and how much it has shrunk. We did love exploring an ice cave that they dig out each year. We had to try twice to get into the ice caves as the first time it closed right as we arrived due to a storm. It was worth taking the train twice.
After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we sto After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we stopped half way down for a couple mile hike and a stop at a mountain hut for lunch. This might have been my favorite lunch ever. The views were amazing and the weather was nice. The mountains here are STUNNING!!! #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explo We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explore the French Alps. The experience we were most excited about was taking the gondola up the 
Aiguille du Midi (highest cable car in France). You switch cable cars half way up so you can enjoy the views. The top outpost is incredible perching on top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it! 

The day wasn’t completely clear but the views were still incredible. #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
After a long drive across the French countryside w After a long drive across the French countryside we landed in Annecy at the foot of the Alps. 

Annecy was such a pretty little town on the bank of a gorgeous turquoise lake.  We got to enjoy lunch at a canal side cafe, wander the streets, enjoy ice cream and playground hop our way through town. 

Very excited about our next few days in mountains of France + Switzerland.
We drove into the heart of France to visit the Go We drove into the heart of France to visit the  Gouffre de Padirac. A large cave system including an underground river. I don’t have many good pictures given the lighting and lack of patience. We loved climbing down into the cave and riding a boat along the river. Probably my favorite cave that I have visited. Kids loved all of it too and are so good about us dragging them along with us across France.
After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire to visit Château de Chenonceau. It was stunning and the gardens were fun to explore. The history here is so rich!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Tag Cloud

Baby Baby Update Book Nook Bucket List Camping Cannon Colorado Colorado Travel Emerald Europe Family Favorites France + Switzerland Travel Log Friday Favorites Goals Hike Hikes Holidays Homeschool International Travel Ironman Ironman Canada Kids Hikes Marathon Marathon Training Mexico Monthly Update National Park pregnancy Project 366 race report Races Run run streak trail running training Travel Ultra Ultra Training Ultramarathon Update updates Utah Weekly Recap Weekly Rundown

Monthly Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010

Easy Instagram

Loading...

Instagram Slider

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis

← Ironman Wish List – Part 3 ← November Recap and December Goals