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Speed work - Simple, fun and for everyone Speed work is not only for the so called elite runners or serious runners. Used correctly, it can help anyone. And, it can be fun. It doesn't matter if you run five or six minutes or 10 minutes per mile, one or perhaps two speed sessions a week will make running more rewarding, and you will enjoy running in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® a lot more. Having a variety of training gears, other than slow and slower, will keep you mentally and physically sharp. So, just what is speed work? It's not a big mystery. Speed work simply is running faster than a comfortable pace, but not all out and not all the time. Incorporate speed work into your training by changing your normal comfortable training pace for short periods of time, once or twice a week depending how many days per week you run. If you run three to four times a week, one speed session per week is enough. The easiest and simplest way to incorporate speed is to run a fartlek, a Swedish word meaning speed play. An example: On a day you plan to run three to five miles, run faster for one minute on eight separate occasions. Between each fast one-minute burst, recover for two minutes at your regular pace. You will experience that your breathing gets heavier and you don't feel like talking to your running partner during the one minute pick ups. That's fine. Before you start your fartlek, however, make sure you have run for at least one mile and you are suitably warmed up. When you are more comfortable with this kind of running, you can increase to two minutes of faster running. These short, fast speed pick-ups will help you improve your leg turnover and running form. Another simple way to do speed work is so called sustained running. You can do this on your regular training loop. When you are warmed up, increase your pace to approximately 80% of your maximum for one to two miles in the beginning. Slowly build up to three miles. Don't forget to cool down for about one mile. After being with the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge for many years I know that many runners run the same pace all the time. There is no variety in their programs other than the distance, sometimes four miles, sometimes six, but no change of speed. If your training loop has some hills, you have an excellent opportunity to work on your speed and running strength. Instead of slowing down as most runners do, pick up the pace up the hill and run easy for a couple of minutes afterwards so you can recover. As you see, incorporating speed is not a complicated issue. Keep it simple and fun and you will soon feel the difference in your running. |
