That Girl Runs

The Runners Lounge is covering our need for speed on this first Thursday of spring. As runners we all thrive to get faster, not matter if you have a passion for long distances or if the 5K is your specialty. In order to get speedier you have to run faster. It is really as simple as that but putting it into practice is a whole other ball game. On a constant quest to improve our finish times we push ourselves into running repeats on the track, in the woods, along busy streets (hopefully rarely, if not at all), uphill, downhill, on the treadmill. We thrive on splits that mark a new personal best and beat ourselves up when we run them slower than our previously celebrated accomplishments. Our non running friends and family members often shake their heads in disbelieve when they see us head out for yet another track workout while they settle in for a night of comfort foods and cool beverages. But we don’t mind as we have a schedule to follow.

Some runners rely on all the technical equipment they can lay their hands on: GPS watches, heart rate monitors, and fancy shoes specifically designed for speed workouts. Others just go out and run fast! Some prefer the track as it gives them exact measurements and allows them to time their 400, 800, 1200, and/or 1600 splits down to the 10,000 of a second. Others are bored to tears by the monotony of running in circles and prefer to run on the open road. Most, who succeed in increasing their split and finish times follow some basic workout guidelines:

Fartlek runs: Funny name, no laughing matter! Go out for your regular run or head to the track. After you have warmed up increase your speed to a pace that pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you are on the open road stay with this pace until you reach a landmark you can see in the distance. It can be a parked car, a fire hydrant, a tree or telephone pole. Once you reach the landmark slow back down to a comfortable pace for a while. Repeat these speed intervals 4-6 times always slowing back down to a comfortable pace in between. If you are running on the track you can pace yourself for 200 or 400 meters.

Tempo runs: not recommended for the track! While running your regular route warm up for 10 minutes then pick up the pace. Run at a pace that takes you out of your comfort zone, the pace that makes you feel like you can run forever, but keep it slow enough that it is sustainable for a period of time. In the beginning you want to be able to run at this pace for 5 minutes, gradually working yourself up to keeping the speed up for your entire workout. 

Hill runs: stronger makes you faster! Naturally we tend to think that running on hilly terrain will slow us down. This is only true if you do not concentrate on your form, but let the hill take over. If you run hills properly however it is a great strength builder for your legs, which will lead to faster speed. If you live in a hilly area take advantage of the terrain and go head out onto the trails. You can either run your regular distance and sustain your normal speed (in other words: do not slow down because you are running uphill) for the entire hill run or you can run hill repeats. After warming up with an easy run find a short hill and run a hard but sustainable pace all the way up the hill. Jog back down and repeat 3-5 times. As your form improves you can add more repeats or find a steeper and/or longer hill.

Run with faster runners: this is my favorite! Personally I believe that no matter how many tempo runs, fartleks, and hill workouts you incorporate into your routine, nothing will make you faster quicker than running with people that are faster than you on a regular basis. Buddy runs are always easier than running solo, especially long and/or fast runs. You will improve without even realizing it if you work out with runners faster than yourself. A lot of runners shy away from this as they don’t want to embarrass themselves or think that they will actually slow the faster runner down. In my personal experience the opposite has been true. The faster runner did not slow down, but the slower runner definitely sped up while keeping up with their running buddy or buddies. I am a big believer in group workouts and running with speedsters as I can only gain from their performance.

Today’s Running Tip: Join a Track or Running Club!

Running with like minded people will motivate you to stick with your workout schedule and will help ease long runs and speed workouts.