How can I run faster?
When you first start of running, your aim is to get to the end of the run in one piece. Once you have got a few races under your belt, you will want to run for personal bests. But how can you train to run faster? The simple answer is speed sessions.
Please Note - These sessions really aren’t much fun and you should limit these runs to once or twice a week as they will wear you out. I recently knocked 4 minute off my PB for a half marathon by using some of these methods. Although be careful not too push yourself too quickly as this can cause injury.
Why does it work?
The following techniques increase your speed in runs to beat your personal bests.
It doesn’t JUST make you faster; it helps you to be fitter because:-
1 Increases the range of movements in your joints improving muscle growth.
2 Makes you more comfortable at all speeds
3 Ultimately makes you run harder for longer as you have been used to the faster speeds even though in shorter intervals.
4 Improve running technique
5 I also heard a rumour these sessions will help you to lose weight – I'm not sure this is true.
How do you do it??
The best way is to start with Fartleks (Swedish for “speed play”) short bursts of faster running indispersed with short periods of recovery. Lampposts or trees are good markers for this. It’s worth mentioning these are structured and are really only a starting point for speed work.
Activity – Try a 4/6 sets of 3 minute runs with 2 minute recovery.
As this becomes easier you can build up to Interval running. These are longer periods of faster running and then slightly shorter recovery time. The important part is to allow your body to recover before you start the speed run. If you feel you’re tired slow down on the speed runs do not lengthen the recover time.
Activity – Try a 4/6 sets of 3 minute runs with 2 minute recovery.
The more experienced runners can try Threshold runs this is where you run at a pace out of your comfort zone for a short period – this is a pace where you should not be able to chat to a friend. Maybe a few words but not a sentence. If you’re advanced (not like me) and have a heart rate monitor this should be at 85%. You still add periods of recovery but the faster periods are a bit harder. An activity would be running 8 minutes fast- with 2 minutes recovery. This should be done 2-4 times each.
The Science bit – threshold running is where you run on the lactate or anaerobic threshold. Working at an intensity that equates to the lactate threshold will gradually push it upwards so that you can produce energy at a higher intensity of lactate acid in your body. It also gets your body accustomed to running at a rate with lactic acid in your muscles and clearing it more efficiently.
In other words - If you run at the faster rate your body will get used to the pain from the lactate acid and mean you can run faster for longer and beat your PB.
Where to start?Try Fatleks to start with and then build up to Threshold running. They really do work and will make a difference to your PB’s.
Activity – Try a 4/6 sets of 3 minute runs with 2 minute recovery.
SOURCE - Sam Murphy - Marathons and Half Marathon and Runners World magazine