Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 113, December 2018 | Page 34

COACHING
TRAINING
over longer distances, and that is to teach your legs what it feels like to run faster.
To do that you have to do training workouts that accomplish exactly that, so here
are some training sessions to learn the technique of running fast.
1. STRIDING THE STRAIGHTS
This session is usually done around a track, but it can also be done on a rugby/
soccer field. After an easy warm-up of 3km to 5km with some faster striding, do
the following:
•
Run the strait of the track fast – not quite a sprint, but at a pace that you
could only maintain for a short while. This means about 100m at close to
full speed, before slowing down to a jog around the bend of the track, then
running the back straight fast again. Cover anything from 8 to 12 laps of the
track this way (about 2.5 to 3.5km).
•
The good part about this training is that the rest period is not structured in
terms of the recovery period – you can jog or even walk the bends until you
feel fully recovered to run another 100m fast. As you get fitter this recovery
jog will get faster, but always focus on the fast 100m runs.
2. FARTLEK
If you have long run goals in coming months, now is the
time to give speed work a chance! – BY DERICK MARCISZ
I
honestly believe that most runners would love to run faster, but many runners
say they don’t do speed work because they are not fast enough. This is actually
nonsense, because fast for you may not be fast for your running partner, but it is
still fast. And the first rule of running fast is simple: Run short. Now this may seem
logical to you, but many runners still worry about the distance they run during a
training session rather than the intensity. There is only one way to get to run faster
About the Author:
Derick is a Joburg-based running and triathlon coach, with multiple ultra-marathon
and Ironman finishes to go with 20-plus years of coaching experience.
The Need
for Speed
Fartlek was invented in 1937 by Swedish coach Gosta Holmer and the name
roughly translates as ‘speed play.’ True fartlek is about mixing up random faster-
than-race pace efforts with easier recovery running, and it is an effective and
satisfying training session that should always be fun! This is running in its purest
form – no kay markers, GPS, or heart rate monitors, just fast running at its best!
•
Run with a partner and each of you will be responsible for 20 minutes during
which you decide how fast and how far you run. Try to do this in a large park
area, but you can also do it on the road.
•
Start with an easy-paced warm-up of around 4km, with a few faster surges.
•
The first ‘leader’ will then say, “Let’s sprint to that tree,” or “Let’s run hard
for two minutes.” The same applies to the rest periods. After 20 minutes you
swap roles.
•
After finishing 40 minutes of running freely like this, you will be left feeling
strong and invigorated, and can jog another 3km as a cool-down.
NUTRITION
Best Fruit Forward
Eating fruit not only provides you with nutrients needed
for health, the repairing of your body and a reduced risk
of some chronic diseases, but fruits can also benefit your
running. – BY ESMÉ MARÉ , REGISTERED DIETITIAN
A
thletes have higher rates of energy metabolism and higher muscular
and skeletal stresses than non-athletes, so they have a higher need
for vitamins and minerals, and one of the best sources is fruit. These
vitamins and minerals are essential for metabolising energy substrates, assisting
in tissue building, for maintaining fluid balance, for carrying oxygen and other
elements needed for metabolic work, and for removal of metabolic by-products
from working tissues. The vitamins and minerals found in fruits also play a role in
reducing the exercise-induced oxidative stress experienced by athletes.
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ISSUE 113 DECEMBER 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za