While it’s not always easy to make it out to the track mid-week, it is important to remember the importance of speed work.  Speed work improves cardiovascular fitness (improved oxygen intake and blood lactate clearance), mechanical effiiency, and mental toughness, all of which result in faster and more enjoyable racing.  These benefits are realized whether you are running around the track with your teammates, or running on your own.  If you aren’t able to make it to Kezar or Oakland Tech on Tuesday nights, I encourage you to run a similar workout midweek.  Just alternating a couple minutes at a quick clip with a minute or two of recovery 3 – 5 times can give you much of the benefit of a track workout.