Not yet feeling the need for speed

Speed workouts and I are not on friendly terms. I view them much as I view hanging out with an annoying colleague after work hours -- it's a necessity that can pay dividends despite the frustration.

For me, tempo workouts are a bit more bearable. I lucked out last weekend when I ran the Tavern to Tavern 5K, which in addition to being a good tempo distance happened to be a point-to-point race, so I was all too happy to jog back down Mass. Ave. to get to my car. Most of the time, though, my decade-old wristwatch and I head out onto the road and I do my best to hit my mile pace target. (I'm not on friendly terms with my phone's GPS [in]capabilities at the moment, either, or else I'd have less to complain about.)

Track workouts, on the other hand, are right out. I haven't stepped on a track since high school. Frankly, I'd like to keep it that way. I have bad outdoor track memories, the least of which was my inability to score a single varsity point in four years. (I managed to get a few points in indoor track, largely because I was one of but a handful of people willing to endure the 23-and-a-half lap two-mile in the godforsaken Lowell High gym.)

As an alternative, I stick to fartlek workouts. In their simplest form, these consist of a one- to two-mile warmup, a set of sprints with a slow jog in between, and a one- to two-mile cool down. The total distance will depend on how many sprints you plan to do and how much rest time you give yourself in between sprints.

The key is to not rest too much. You should feel increasingly drained as each sprint begins. The whole point of the workout, after all, is to prepare your legs for the point in a race when, in a short race, you need to kick it into a higher gear even though you're tired, or, in a longer race, you need to maintain your pace even though you'd much rather pass out on the side of the road.

At the same time, don't kill yourself. You can walk for a few seconds after you finish a sprint, but, if you need to walk for much longer, dial it back. Don't run until you puke, either, as that may mean adding one additional fartlek to your workout to escape the wrath of an irate neighbor.

Ultimately, speed workouts are a necessary evil, but tailoring them to your needs and strengths will make them work.