I try to incorporate speed drills in my training about once per week. I also tend to use them on the treadmill to prevent boredom, so rainy/icy/snowy weeks see more of them. I don't like to have to concentrate too much during a run (errr, when is that even a possibility?), and because I think Running Mate is awesome, I generally use one of his speed drill (interval) podcasts (available on iTunes, in case you're wondering). I also had the good fortune to be one of his test subjects (I was going to say guinea pig, but ewww) for his Fastest 5K program which consists of several speed drills, and I incorporate those regularly as well. (BTW, best 5K time so far - and thanks to Mr. Todd - is 27:24 with a stroller).
From what I've read and heard, it seems like speed drills are necessary not only to help you gain speed, but simply to improve your running and keep you from becoming stagnant in your training. I find them much easier to do uniformly on the treadmill because I have the ability to set the speed and change easily back and forth, however, I find them much, much more challenging with the stroller (of course) and therefore love the cardio workout benefit with the stroller. Changing the momentum of the stroller enough to speed up really gets my heart rate on the up swing and I'm not sure if it's just my bad luck, but the "speed" intervals almost always seem to begin as I'm headed uphill or into the wind. My Polar HRM definitely shows a difference between my workout on the treadmill vs an outdoor workout with the stroller (and that's obviously true even when it comes to an "easy run" day).
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