Last Monday, the 128th Boston Marathon was held. With most of the participants gaining entry by meeting time qualifications and time cut-offs, the race probably has the fastest average finishing times. But this is not a call for speed in that way. My call for speed is for everyone to do a little bit of speedwork, even if, like me, you are not even remotely close to finishing a marathon under a Boston Marathon qualifying time.

Sung Jin Choi (he/him) at the Boston Marathon and who can sometimes be found Tuesday mornings doing speedwork with Coach John Honerkamp
Photo by Kevin Alano (he/him)

PPTC provides to members free coached speedwork sessions every Tuesday mornings at 6:30AM. These speedwork sessions are led by Coach John Honerkamp (he/him). It’s a struggle for me to get up early in the morning and trek to the park (taking a bus and a train), but I have never regretted going to these speedwork sessions. I am by no means a fast runner. My race times are often at the bottom of the list of our team members, and I know there are people who walk faster than my running pace. I am not doing speedwork to get a BQ. There are some of the Tuesday morning crew with this goal and who are within a stone’s throw of that goal or who have already gotten their BQ. That’s just not me.

I know how difficult it can be for a slower runner to go to group runs, let alone join a group speedwork session. But speedwork is for everyone. When I have been able to commit to regularly doing speedwork, I saw my average running pace get faster and my race times drop. The speedwork made me a stronger runner.

With the Brooklyn Half around the corner, AGSS down the block, and fall marathons not too far out (after all NYRR made me pay for my NYCM registration about 8 months in advance of the race), I’m hoping to regularly make it to the Tuesday morning speedwork sessions. Other than faster paces and race times, attending the Tuesday morning speedwork sessions have given me a sense of belonging. You may think that being the slowest runner at the speedwork sessions would have the opposite effect, but that is not the case. I may still be huffing up a hill when other runners have already reached the peak and are turning back, but we are all there to do the work. We are all struggling with those repeats in our own way. We all have our own reasons for being there.

The backs of some of the Tuesday morning speedwork runners as they pass me on the loop
Photo by Linda S. Chan

This past Tuesday I started our two-mile (or more) tempo run a little bit before the rest of the group. While I was in the first mile I began to be passed by faster runners. Is this demoralizing? No, it is not. I was working and so were they. Most will give me a curt shoutout between breaths or a nod or a wave. The backs of these faster runners become familiar to me until the distance between us is too great for me to see them, but I am part of their group. I’m doing the same workout.

PPTC’s speedwork sessions are for everyone regardless of pace. I encourage you to join us at Harry’s Wall. We meet at 6:30AM and start with a dynamic warmup and then workout for roughly 30 minutes. We’re usually done around 7:15AM. If you have to leave earlier, you can leave at any time. The speedwork sessions are free of charge to PPTC members.

If mornings just don’t work for you, PPTC member Sarah Stone (she/her) organizes the “Alt Speedwork” group that meets at 7PM at GAP (to the right of the park entrance). PPTC member Alexis Gordon (she/her) also organizes a PM speedwork group that meets at 4:30PM at Center Drive where it intersects East Drive. This group will often do the trail training workout. Speaking of trail training, PPTC member Adam Devine (he/him) leads an AM trail training group that meets at GAP on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30AM. And if you are a speedier runner chasing down BQs and age group awards, members Tom Anderson (he/him) and John McElroy (he/him) lead a group of speedier runners for speedwork on Tuesdays, meeting at 7PM at GAP (left side). More information about the Tuesday morning speedwork sessions with Coach John Honerkamp and the alternative speedwork sessions can be found on the club’s Discord server (particularly in the channels for #pptc-training, #trails-training for the trail training group, and #focused-training for the speedier runners group).

I hope you join me one Tuesday morning at speedwork. Did I have any regrets about last week’s speedwork session. Just one – I left my water bottle on my kitchen counter.

Early morning view of the lake during Tuesday speedwork
Photo by Linda S. Chan

Text by: Linda S. Chan
Produced by: Linda S. Chan
Photos as noted

PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.

A Call for Speed