This Is Where You Find Out

"Quenton, this is where you find out. This is the time and place. All the rest is window dressing. ... You can do very nearly anything. Haven't you figured that out?"                                                                                                  - Bruce Denton, Once a Runner

If you've read this blog before, you know how I often preach training at a controlled effort. Strides should be run at a relaxed fast effort. Interval workouts should be finished feeling like you could do one more. Et cetera et cetera.

And I stand by the philosophy that most of your training should be controlled. Most of it, but not all of it.

Every once in a while -- maybe once or twice a season MAX -- you should think about running a workout where you give everything you have. You'll hear some people calling this "going to the well," since you have to dig deep to get them done. I've heard of other call them "see God" workouts, as you'll be so wiped after it's done that you'll be seeing God.

So why go to the well in a workout? Because if you want to get yourself racing mean, then you better simulate the pain and suffering and stress you'll face in the race. Controlled workouts take care of the physiology of running fast, "see God" workouts take care of the psychology.

But notice I mentioned that you should do them once or twice at most during a season. Go to the well too often, and you'll burn up your race in practice. Don't go to the well often enough, and you'll never build racing toughness. After one or two all-out workouts, spaced apart and with appropriate recovery afterwards, and you'll see huge gains in fitness.

In college we used to do a workout called Last Man Standing. (Sidebar: you know a workout's going to be tough when it has a name.) The concept was simple: repeat 400s, starting each one every two minutes. First 16 between 78-80 (about tempo pace for most of us college runners), and then after that the goal time would start getting faster and faster. If you couldn't make the new cutoff time, then your workout was done. The most quarters I ever made was 24, but we'd occasionally have guys racing sub-65 seconds into the 30s.

Which brings me to my workout this past Tuesday. After school, hot and humid, by myself on the Little Miami bike path. Warm up, strides, and then four miles at lactate threshold pace. Jog rest three minutes, then three miles at LT pace. Jog rest three minutes, then two miles at LT pace. Shuffle a mile cool down and done. In total it's nine miles at or near half marathon pace, which is pretty damn near a race effort.

Here's how it went: First four miles in 20:05, splitting 5:00, 5:02, 5:03, 4:59. Next three miles in 14:56, splitting 4:56, 5:00, 4:59. Final two miles in 9:59, splitting 5:00, 4:59. Total of nine miles at effort, averaging right on 5:00 pace.

I could feel my legs getting heavier and heavier as the workout went on. The first four miles were long and tough. The next three were a grind. And the final two were just a daze. Eventually you get to the point where your head and legs seem to be detached, even as they're screaming at you they just keep churning at the same pace, as if controlled by some external metronome.

And then you finish and try to force food down to recover, even though you feel sick to the stomach from the effort. I was so tired, I had trouble falling asleep that night.

But now I know. I'm ready for the half...maybe in two weeks, maybe in two months, but I'm there. Bring it on.