Training
Put Your Foot Down By Sean Falconer
Speedwork makes you faster and fitter , increases the range of movement in your joints , makes you more comfortable at all speeds , and will ultimately help you to run harder for longer , so here are a few great sessions to help boost your speed .
We all like running fast and breaking PBs , or having the kick to finish a race in style , and the best way to get faster is by adding some speedwork to your training programme . Try to fit in at least one session a week , and if you find one that you really like , just keep adapting it by adding reps or increasing the distances as you become faster .
If you ’ re interested in improving your pure speed – you want a killer kick – then concentrate on shorter reps , like 200s or 400s . If it ’ s speed endurance you ’ re after – you want to run longer distances faster – then try the longer intervals . Naturally , mix pure speed sessions with speed-endurance sessions for the best of both worlds .
For these workouts , you need to know your ‘ race pace ’ for distances from 400m , 800m and 1500m / mile on the track , up to 5km , 10km and / or the half marathon , so take your current racing times on the road as a starting point , and measure your best times on the track , then increase your race pace as you get stronger and faster .
Just remember , speed sessions aren ’ t about sprinting flat-out until you ’ re sick . They ’ re about controlling hard efforts and spreading your energy evenly over a set distance or time . Also , speed training should not account for more than 15 per cent of your total mileage per week , so it ’ s about quality , not quantity . Now go give these awesome workouts a try !
1 . FAST / SLOW 200s : Run eight laps of a track ( 3200m ), alternating fast and slow 200s . The fast 200s should be hard , but not a full sprint – you ’ ll soon learn just how fast ( and slow ) you need to go . As you get faster , add an extra lap until you ’ re running 12 fast / slow 200s ( 4800m ).
2 . FASTER 400s : You ’ ll be doing 4x400m , accelerating over each 100m , so the first 100m should be run at your 10km pace , the second at 5km pace , the third at 1500m / mile pace , and the fourth at 800m pace . Take a slow 400m jog to recover , then repeat . To really round off this session , follow the 400s with 6x200m at 800m pace , with 20-second recoveries .
3 . PYRAMID PLAN : Do a pyramid session , starting with a short distance , gradually increasing , and then coming back down again . For example , start at 100m , add 20m to each rep until you reach 200m , and then come back down to 100m . Run these at 400m pace , with a walk-back recovery . Pyramids work for long distances too : 1000m , 2000m , 3000m , 2000m , 1000m at your half marathon race pace , with a three- to four-minute recovery jog between each effort .
4 . DESCENDING LADDER : This workout involves steadily decreasing intervals run at a steadily increasing pace . For example , run 500m , 400m , 300m , 200m and 100m , starting at 800m pace and getting increasingly quicker on each rep . The recovery between each rep should be 60 seconds . For a longer workout , start with three laps of the track ( 1200m ) at your 5km race pace , then step it down to 1000m , 800m , 600m , 400m and 200m , running each interval at a slightly faster pace , and with . Don ’ t worry too much about exact pace – focus on the feeling of running faster with each step down . Take a 90-second recovery jog after each interval .
5 . SNEAKY MILES : Run three 400m intervals interspersed with 200m recovery jogs , all without stopping , and it adds up to a mile ( 1600m ). The 400s are run at 800m race pace , while the 200s can be done as easy as you like . The result is a slower mile time than you would normally run , but the benefit comes from the three faster 400m segments . Do three sets per session , with five-minute slow recovery jogs between sets , and as you get faster , gradually speed up the pace of the recovery 200s . To add another dimension , run the final 400 faster than the first two .
6 . KILLER 4000s : Basically 2 x 4000m , but with a twist : Each 4000m consists of hard reps of 400m , 300m , 200m , 100m , 400m , 300m , 200m , 100m . The 400s are run at 1500m pace , 300s at 800m pace , 200s at 400m pace , and the 100m is a sprint , and after each fast portion , e . g . 300m , run the same distance at a slow , steady pace . After the first 4000m , jog for three minutes , and then repeat .
Sean Falconer has been a running journalist and magazine editor for 25 years , including interviewing five Marathon World Record-holders as well as sprinting great Usain Bolt . He joined Modern Athlete in 2009 and is now one of the three co-owners of the magazine . He has been running since 1995 , and counts running the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race as one of his fondest running memories .
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