Speed work DOES make you fast

I am now 4 weeks into my FIRST marathon training program. I am running fewer days and approximately same, or less miles than I used to prior to starting this program. I confess it was not easy to run only 3 days a week. Although I love swimming and I am growing into liking biking (still ways to go on this one), there is nothing that perks me up like running does. No wonder research shows that 30 min of running is the equivalent of 20 mg Prozac. 30 min of swimming and biking...not so much. I think the fear of injury and the hope of a 1/2 ironman in the summer, have helped me stick to this routine: 3 runs, 1 bike, 3-4 swims, 1 rest day/week. The result? I am a faster and stronger runner. My comfortable pace is way faster than it used to be. I do all my tempos and speed drills faster than my program's pace. Knee pain? Gone. Muscle definition? In.

I think my improvement in speed is due to the speed work. The speed drills are fun bc they are short, few (max 6 drills) and they are not "all out", meaning, I am not nauseous, headacke-y, completely spent at the end of them. I am tired, but not "out". In addition, my brain chooses to hold on to the positive - nailing the splits, the glow on my face, the clearheaded feeling it experiences, the joy - and not the negative - those looooong seconds of doubt during the long drills, or the short lived, unpleasant out of breath feeling.

The lesson here for me is that less can be more, and quality does prevail quantity. Once in a while it pays to get yourself outside of your comfort zone, your well known training schedule, and try something new. It may turn out to become your best friend.