Speed Training: Hate.

So, there's something very important you should know about me.

I. Hate. Speed. Training.

I hate it with the fiery passion of 1000 suns. This is probably why I am such a slow runner. I will make every possible excuse not to do it, and I have even been known to show up at the track, run around it once, and go home discouraged because I want to die. The only thing I like about it is that it is quickly over.

The old Galloway program I was following before (and will likely continue to follow for my marathon training) has Sundays that alternate between long runs and speed training. This was working out pretty well for me before, because every other week I could have a break from speed training ("Yay, a long run!! I can relax and not do speed work!") and then every other week I could have a break from long runs ("I hate this so much, but at least it's over in 45 minutes instead of 2.5 hours for a change").

I did speed training yesterday with S. for the first time since before I ran the Phoenix RnR half marathon in January (yes, I wasted FOUR ENTIRE MONTHS doing halfass tempo runs rather than actual interval work... I am already regretting this... if I want to get faster I should be training for fastness. Sigh.) We only did 5x800 at a 9:00 pace. Using Galloway's formula before the Phoenix race I'd figured out that my speed intervals should be at a 9:14 pace if my goal race pace was 9:45/mile. So I thought, it's time to get faster now, so I may as well do a 9:00 pace. This is probably not actually accurate for me based on my current ability levels since my last half was NOT at a 9:45/mile pace (closer to 10:05 I think). Now I struggle to run even one 10:00 mile so I'm even less fit than I was before; I have no idea how I did 13 of them consecutiely only 4 months ago.

Anyway speed training brings out all of my inner demons and makes me have baby tantrums apparently. I was pretty foul to S. last night when he was merely trying to encourage me into doing one more 800. I pretty much feel like a huge douche, and that's putting it mildly. So I guess the quickest way to make me into a monster is to make me keep my HR over 200 bpm for awhile. Training WITH someone for speed should make it better, and instead I take out my angst on that person. Great.

I freaking hate track workouts so so much. How do you get through yours consistently and cheerfully?