Want to become a faster runner? Join me and others at 7:00 PM on Tuesdays at the Pagosa Springs High School track. We will start with a mile time trial. Then every Tuesday, we will run track intervals to help you achieve your goal mile time 6 weeks later.
Tomorrow, 6/26/18 at 7 PM, I will be at track clocking my mile. If you can't get to the track tomorrow at 7PM, just run a mile on your own this week and then meet me at the track on 7/3/18 at 7PM for our first interval workout.
If you want help setting a reasonable mile goal time, let me know. We will use your goal mile time to determine the pace for your intervals.
If you're using Strava, it will not give you an accurate mile time on the track (it can't map you fast enough on the corners) so it will report a faster mile time. So look at your time when you finish the mile and write that number down.
There's also a one-mile river trail segment starting at the Town Park Gazebo and ending at Apache Street (near the Town Hall). Strava will measure that segment accurately.
I will be posting workouts on this forum and you can post your mile goal time if you like accountability.
And now for the fine print: I'm assuming that you have accumulated decent base miles so far this year and that you will run at least 2-3 others days during the 6 week period. You will drop time running once a week, but not as much than if you're doing additional training. Also, it's been said that speed kills. Jumping abruptly into interval training might get you injured. To minimize that risk, begin doing 5 to 10 surges of 30-60 seconds in duration at mile race pace during your normal runs. Get up on your toes and get your muscles used to a little more loading. Also, do 10 barefoot strides in a grassy area at the end of a couple of your runs.
And for more details for those of you who like to learn: Most of you are not milers, but the overall goal is to improve your lactate threshold and running economy so you become faster at your favorite race distance. Running the mile is a quick way to determine current fitness, estimate training interval pace, and extrapolate race times over longer distances.
The theory is that running fast requires more efficient running form and more efficient form translates to better running economy. Running economy is similar to your car's gas mileage - the more efficient you run the less energy you waste, which will allow you to run faster. Biomechanics are a major factor in running economy. A lot of us have developed bad running form because our cushy shoes have enabled us.

Which is why I'll be running my intervals barefoot on the grass next to the track (like my age-group-world record-holder nephew, Daniel Skandera, whose feet are tough enough to race on the track barefoot).
As you're doing intervals, we will also raise your lactate threshold, which is the pace at which you begin to develop lactate. Once lactate begins to accumulate in your muscles, you begin to slow down (and it hurts)! The interval training will delay lactate from forming until the finishing kick of your mile.
If your interested in learning more about the major factors that influence running pace check out these videos (which I play for my freshmen when we're studying respiration).
Why It's Almost Impossible to Run a Two-Hour Marathon | WIRED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEw17sjrB7s
Is It Possible to Run a Marathon in Under 2 Hours? | Breaking2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caEZsGyYPfY
And if you want to be inspired and see a highly controlled running experiment in which 3 professional runners attempt to break 2 hours in the marathon, watch Breaking 2 (it will be 55 minutes well spent - I promise) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ZLG-Fij_4
See you at the track!