Making Progress: Comparing Speed Workouts

A watch is a great way to track your speed workouts.

Last week, I ventured down to the Orange Reservoir Loop for my first speed workout. Today, I ran the same workout again. I did the same 5x320m intervals with 320m easy recovery jogs. By keeping everything the same, I’m able to compare the two workouts and see if I’m making progress. Happily, I am. Comparing … Read more

The Orange Reservoir Loop at South Mountain Reservation

A fountain shoots water up in the Orange Reservoir Loop

South Mountain Reservation is home to a complex network of trails, including the Orange Reservoir Loop. The Orange Reservoir Loop is a paved trail that loops around the Orange Reservoir in the northern part of South Mountain Reservation. It’s approximately 1.6 miles long, and it has distance markers every 1/10 of a mile. The loop … Read more

The Oakdale Trail and Lenape Loop at South Mountain Reservation

Small building at the Crag, overlooking the Oakdale Trail from the Lenape Trail

The South Mountain Reservation is home to a complex network of trails, including the Oakdale Trail and the Lenape Trail. The Oakdale Trail connects two points on the Lenape Trail, forming a 2.5 mile loop that is a moderately difficult trail to run. The loop is fairly hilly, and it includes substantial elevation gain over … Read more

Doing My First Speed Workout

Running track for speed work training.

This week, I started my winter training block focused on lowering my 5k time. And that meant that today was my first speed workout. Other than it being fairly cold, things worked out well. I enjoyed it, it felt good, and I’m looking forward to a few more of these throughout Phase 1. Dealing with … Read more

Turtleback Loop Trail at South Mountain Reservation

A stream of running water along the Turtleback Loop Trail.

The South Mountain Reservation is home to a complex network of running trails, including the Turtleback Loop Trail. The Turtleback Loop is a moderate difficulty, hilly trail through the northeastern end of the Reservation. It’s mostly single track, dirt trails, and it has about 400 feet of elevation gain over 3.5 miles. It’s a great … Read more