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time v distance, stop watch aversion
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how many runners time their runs instead of counting the miles?
and is there anyone else like me who doesn't really bother with a stop watch at all? i just go on how I feel, though I roughly know how long each route will take according to my effort. but even when i go to the track i don't time the reps, even when i do loads. i could ask a family member to help time me, but i dont know if this is necessary, maybe i'll try once or twice just to ensure i keep an even pace.
has anyone achieved success this way or do i need to be more methodical? i've found i'm improving by just stepping up my training, but soon i realise i might have to start calculating things...
and is there anyone else like me who doesn't really bother with a stop watch at all? i just go on how I feel, though I roughly know how long each route will take according to my effort. but even when i go to the track i don't time the reps, even when i do loads. i could ask a family member to help time me, but i dont know if this is necessary, maybe i'll try once or twice just to ensure i keep an even pace.
has anyone achieved success this way or do i need to be more methodical? i've found i'm improving by just stepping up my training, but soon i realise i might have to start calculating things...
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Comments
It's definitely worth timing your intervals.
I find that it helps me to keep my pace down. I have a tendancy to try and beat my previous time if I know the distance I am running.
I do however run to set distances on tempo and speed sessions.
I try to always time intervals, more to ensure even pace running than anything else. The nature of some runs, tempo/out and back etc, mean they have to be timed.
Even on the runs I do time I try not to get too hung up on the result - there are so many factors that can influence your training times, tiredness, time of day, weather etc etc etc
I would suggest you do what suits you - running is a very individual thing.
i'm going to try running for time this afternoon for my speed endurance session, do 1, 2, 3, 4 min fast/slow then back down, like a pyramid session i'd do on the track, so i'll see how that goes!
We can take 8x800m as an example. What that means is that the runner runs 800 metres fast followed by a slower recovery run - that fast-slow pair counting as one "rep" or repetition - then repeats that process seven more times. Therefore, "eight times 800m".
Of course, the unwritten catch is that "8x800m" doesn't mean "800m times eight" - it means "800m fast, times eight". So, if your recoveries were the same distance (a fairly common convention) you'd actually run 1600m times eight, in total.
For example, last Tuesday I ran an 8x400m session. I ran slowly to my local park (to warm up) and ran to a section which I knew was the appropriate length. Then, I ran the 400m to the other end fast, and jogged back to the start; ran to the other end fast, jogged back to the start... etc. After eight times of doing that I was more than a little knackered - intervals are nothing if not tiring!
Intervals are most often done in areas where you know what distance you're covering, which will mean either a track or a section of land that you know well.
Hope that helped