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Speed work 101

The racing season is upon us! I am super excited to share some tried and true tips on how to increase your speed and drop your racing times.

It is important that you have been training for some time and have a fair amount of miles under your belt before you try to incorporate any of these tips into your workout plan.

There are some pretty basic workouts that are key to successful racing. I am going to lay them out for you with one very strong yet often ignored recommendation. (I happen to have been a strong offender and encourage you not to do the same!) Give as much respect to the recovery run as you to the speed workout. A super wise man (my coach Dustin) had to beat into me the importance of my training schedule looking like a rollercoaster. Each workout truly does have a purpose and should not be ignored. Ok, disclaimer complete, lets get faster!

Hill Repeats are a great way to build strength and focus on form; they work the fast twitch muscles with less stress then a typical speed workout. I enjoy the treadmill for my hill workouts as I can vary the incline and keep an eye on the amount of time I am climbing the hill. A typical hill workout looks like this for me: I start with a 2 mile warm up and then move the incline to 8 where I put the pace as fast as I can sustain it for 1-2 minutes and then bring the incline back down to zero and walk it out for 1 minute. I do 2 repeats at an 8 incline; I then move it to 10 for 2 repeats, then to 12 for two. After my second hill at 12 I bring it back down to 10 for 2 more and then finish with 2 at 8. I then cool down with a nice and easy mile.

Tempo Runs are a great way to prepare for a race. A typical tempo workout starts with a nice and easy 1-2 mile warm up followed by a few miles at 30-45 seconds slower then your goal race pace and a 1-2 mile cool down. The distance for your middle miles depends on the distance of the race you are training for.

Intervals are a fun and yet taxing way of working the fast twitch muscles. The distance of the interval is dependant again on the distance of the race you are training for. The goal is to go at a hard pace for a preset distance and then follow it with a slow recovery jog. Then you repeat. When attempting to build your tolerance for lactic acid you can do the interval and then stand still for your recovery period. It is at this point that the acid builds up and your body learns how to work with it.

The fartlek Run is a great and fun way to work on pace running and get your body acclimated to a faster pace. The fartlek is easy and achievable anywhere, no need for a track for this workout! As you are running a similar pace to a long run you periodically find a marker (light pole, house, mailbox) and then give it the guns until you reach that mark where you then slow your pace back down to a comfortable run. When you feel like your heart rate has recovered and you are easy running again, find another marker and go! A great fun way to shake up your workout!

Progression Runs are a great way to work on speed and train your body to work hard under stress and when tired. I often will start a progression well slower then a normal run and then as each miles passes I increase the speed, finishing at my goal pace. When my last mile is completed I slow my roll for an easy cool down.

As I mentioned before your workouts should look like a roller coaster. Hard one day easy recovery the next and don’t forget the extremely important long runs. They are an excellent way to become aerobically stronger and build the endurance needed to sustain any speed for any length of time.
Feel free to be in touch with any questions and….

~Happy Running!

Pre-Race Video Tips

Here are some quick tips on getting ready for that big race: