Simple answers aren't always easy

The question is, "How can I run faster?". The answer is, "Run faster."

I am not a fast runner. I am not even a fast walker.

My first marathon time was 6:13:42. I walked, I ran, I stumbled along, I finished. My next marathon, the following year, was 6:10. I ran a good bit more, but apparently it did not speed me up much. Two years later, I ran my third marathon. I was on track to do a 5:35. After an asthma attack at mile 16, I think, I ended up finishing with a 5:53 time.

Yes, my time is improving, but not by much. After doing some reading, I found that the consensus is this: you can't work on two things at once and see much improvement. For example, you can build endurance and you can increase speed, but not at the same time. So, I have scaled back my long runs and have been working on my speed for the last several months. I am probably still doing too much mileage on Saturdays, so I am going to scale that back a little more. I am seeing improvement and this is quite exciting for me. Speed is not coming easily. It is taking a lot of work. It is a challenge and one I intend to meet. It make some time, but I will get there.

Here's what I am doing: I cross train on Monday, run for speed on Tuesday, strength train on Wednesday, moderate run on Thursday, rest on Friday, group run of 6 - 8 miles on Saturday and easy run/walk on Sunday.

Mark is running with me on Saturdays and I think it is making me stronger. He is a stronger runner and is keeping me going. I look forward to our time together and seeing how much better I can do each week. I know I'm going to get there.