Going From “How far?” to “How fast?”: Part 2 – Running

 

Army 10-Miler - 2010 - AUSA - FMWRC - United States Army - 101024

Setting a goal to run a new distance may cause uncertainty: Can I really run [insert your dream distance here]?

Then, as training progresses, we start to realize, “Oh yes, I CAN run that far. But, hmmmm, I wonder how fast I can do it?” It’s a natural and possibly inevitable progression: moving from how far to how fast.

In my previous post, I talked about two key workouts for improving speed: tempo efforts and repeats (intervals), and discussed how these basic workouts apply to cycling. This post is the second part of that discussion, and applies speed strategies to running, while closing with some tips and caveats for increasing speed. Most of these tips will be useful to those who are not very familiar with speedwork, but I welcome additional tips and strategies from experienced readers. (Please share!)

This is a fairly long post, so let me break down the parts for you:

  1. Some words of caution before running fast
  2. Frequency of speed work
  3. Measuring effort: How fast is fast?
  4. Suggestions for speed workouts
  5. Does it work?

1. Some words of caution before running fast

Caution 1:

We can’t run fast without aerobic endurance. So, the first step in a long-term goal to increase speed must focus on increasing aerobic endurance. If you are new or returning to running or cycling, don’t worry about speed work–you don’t need it. Build your endurance first by completing workouts at a moderate aerobic pace. (Tip: You are in the aerobic zone when you can breathe rhythmically. If you are gasping for air, you are pushing into the anaerobic zone.) Give yourself several months to build your base before introducing dedicated speed work.

Caution 2:

All training should follow a principle of progressive overload, which Joe Friel describes, “Training builds up fitness by first tearing it down. Following a stressful workout, one in which the workload was high, you are in worse shape than before you started […]. If the workload was appropriate and rest follows, the body will respond in a few hours or a couple of days, and you’ll be slightly more fit” (Friel, 2009, p. 29).

The keys here are “appropriate workload” and “rest.” Failing to have an appropriate workload or adequate rest results in overtraining, which results in extreme fatigue, reduced performance, and yes, injury.

To determine what’s appropriate for you, consider the concept of gradual adaptation for increasing both duration and intensity. In practice, this means that increases in duration and/or intensity should be around 10% each week.

For example, you could complete a tempo run that is 10% longer at the same speed, or you could do 10% more repeats than you did the last time. You could also go the same distance, and increase your speed by 10%. Ideally you would do a mix of these progressions to improve fitness.

No matter what: speed work SHOULD not comprise the majority of your weekly mileage or duration. Running fast all the time will NOT make you faster. It will leave your tired and at risk of injury. My speedwork is restricted to about 10-20% of my weekly volume, depending upon my training cycle. (Less speedwork during the base period, slightly more during build.)

Caution 3:

My dog Bella knows how to rest. I look to her for my recovery inspiration. 😉

Rest is REQUIRED, and it takes two forms: rest days and recovery weeks.

 

I take one rest day a week. On rest days, I don’t do any swimming, running, cycling or weight training. I will, however, take a gentle yoga class or stretch. In addition to rest days, you also want to mix in a few “easy” days of training. Again, running fast and long all the time does not make us better runners.

I take a recovery week every four weeks, during which time I reduce my total weekly training time/distance by 10-20%. This recovery week allows our bodies to adapt to the stresses of training and rebuild – making our strength and endurance a little bit better than it was before. Failure to incorporate rest days, easy days and recovery weeks can lead to overtraining, which at best results in reduced performance. At worst, you’ll wind up rehabbing an injury for weeks or even months.

Trust me, I’m speaking DIRECTLY from experience here.

Take recovery seriously.

2. Fast Frequency

While the basic principles for speed work remain, some details are different for running, as compared to cycling—especially as it relates to frequency. In cycling, I do two speed sessions a week. However, for running, I stick to one dedicated speed session a week.

Why?

Running fast stresses out the body. It jolts our soft parts and joints. The upshot: if we run fast too often or without proper preparation, it WILL lead to injury (Grabowski & Kram, 2008). As such, the body needs time to recover from hard efforts. For most of us, that means at least several days. My preference is seven days. For others, that might mean 5 days or 10 days. (Runner’s World offers an interesting article on using longer training cycles. Read it here.)

Coach Gordo Byrn explains that over-emphasizing high intensity work (such as speed training)  leads to sacrifces in our overall aerobic endurnace:

In my opinion the number one limiter for AG’s[age-groupers, i.e., amateur athletes] is not having the ability (confidence in their training or lack of training plan?) to go easy. Going easy is an art – listening to your body and recovering is a skill.”

For me, keeping speed sessions limited to once a week (and sometimes less, especially during the off-season) is a formula that works. Moreover, I think about the placement of speed work within the training week.

  • I don’t schedule speed training the day before or after a long run.
  • I do not mix running and cycling speed work on the same days.
  • I like to mix hard running with moderate to easy swims. (Feels soooo good to swim after a hard run.)
  • I like to do my speed work after a rest day. (This isn’t mandatory, but it’s my preference.)

Not all runners would agree with these principles. The key is to do your research, and gauge how your body responds to speed. However, if you are new (or returning) to speed work, I recommend very strongly that you keep it simple, short and once a week. Gradual adaptation is key to making performance gains while avoiding overtraining and injury.

3. How fast is “fast”?

John bringing it in strong at the 33rd Annual AC St. Pat's 10 Miler, Sun, March 12. His average HR was 171, or 90% of his max. No doubt tempo runs helped him maintain this hard effort over the distance. (He finished 1st in his AG, and 9th place overall. His time was 1:06:54, which was a PR by over 3 minutes.)

Another key difference between cycling and running comes from how to gauge effort since measuring power is not accessible for running.

So, just how fast is “fast”?

To answer this question for myself, I use a combination of heart rate and perceived exertion.

For a tempo run, I keep my effort about 85-90% of my max heart rate (or max of perceived effort), which is just under or at lactate threshold.

Why this point and not something else? Good question!

This point represents the “aerobic-anaerobic transition” (Faude, Kindermann, & Meyer, 2009, p. 471). As I wrote in my previous post, this transition matters because it affects the way in which our bodies process oxygen and energy.

In short: we can only go so far in an anaerobic (oxygen-deprived) state. Therefore, to get the most out of the tempo effort, we want to stay just shy of the anaerobic zone to ensure enough oxygenation for an extended tempo run.

For intervals or repeats, I will keep my heart rate and exertion at 95-100+% of my max. During a repeat, the objective is to hit that anaerobic zone, and push it for a specified distance or time.  You want to get into that oxygen deprived state, and then during the active recovery, you will return some of that lost oxygen.

An important caveat about gauging effort using heart rate: it is not possible to 100% accurately identify your threshold by heart rate; however, it is likely the best method most amateur athletes have – unless, of course, you have access to a lab for intricate blood and fitness testing.  And, if you do have said access, would you mind if I tagged along for a session?

4. How to: Suggestions for speed runs

Warming up & Cooling Down

For both types of speed work, you want to make sure you are properly warmed up. I like to run for 10-15 minutes. Fast walking or cycling is also appropriate for warming up. You can then do 3 x 30 second surges with 30-45 second active recovery to get the legs ready move. These surges are optional, but I like to throw them once in a while.

Cool down with slow jogging, reducing to a walk (as appropriate), for a total duration of about 10 minutes. Be sure to stretch properly following the run.

I also strongly recommend an ice bath or a soak in cold water.

The tempo run

If this is your first tempo run, shoot for 20 minutes of running at your tempo pace. Each time you do a tempo, you can try to add either distance or a bit more speed. You can work your way up to 60 minutes of tempo pace running—but do this gradually! (see notes on gradual adaption above).

A tempo pace could be anywhere from 1:00 to 1:30 min/mile faster than your moderate aerobic pace. Start in the neighborhood of a minute faster, and see how that feels. You can always increase speed, but it’s hard to recover if you go out too fast. Regardless of pace, however, use your heart rate (if you have a monitor) and/or perceived effort as a guide for how hard to run. Relying on pace doesn’t account for how we are feeling that day or any progress we’ve made throughout the training cycle.

A tempo run is challenging not because you are running as fast as you can, but because you are running at a pace that is significantly faster than your base aerobic pace. So, on our scale of 1 to 10, you should be at a 8.5 or a 9.

Mix it up: I like to do my tempos as a progressive run, during which I consistently increase my speed over time. So, for example, I may start out at 8o-85% of my max effort, but end at about 90-95% of my max effort. So, the final moments of a tempo run may push me into my anaerobic zone. I like this method because it teaches my body and my brain to finish strong.

Repeats

The best way to do repeats is on a track, which usually measure 400 meters (.25 miles). However, if you don’t have access to a

Steps from the finish line at the Ocean Drive Marathon in 2009. I worked on many sets of repeats to get my first ever BQ.

track, you can do repeats on a flat route, or even on the treadmill. (During the cold winter months, speed work on the treadmill is a great way to break up the monotony.)

 

Repeats can be done based on distance or time, which vary depending upon your ultimate goal. For marathon training, I like mile repeats or Yasso 800s. Sometimes, I like to end repeat training with a few fast 200 meter or 400 meter repeats.

Regardless of the distance or time, the effort should be VERY hard. Each repeat should be at a perceived effort of 9.5/10 out of 10, or 95-100%+ of max heart rate.

After each repeat, recover with a slow jog or walk. Some people will rest completely, but I don’t advocate this approach. (Why? That will have to be another post!)

During the recovery interval, let your heart rate recover and the oxygen return to your muscles. Each recovery period should be at a rate of perceived effort of about 3 or 4 out of 10. Determining how long that recovery interval should last depends upon how long it takes your heart rate to fall and your breath to return to an easy aerobic level.

Typically, the recovery interval is between 50%-100% of the distance and/or time of the work repeat. For example, if you are doing mile repeats, the recovery can be anywhere from 0.5 mile to 1 mile. If you are new to intervals, keep the recovery closer to 100%. As you become accustomed to the effort, you can work on shortening the rest intervals. Again, gradual adaptation.

If you have never done repeats before, keep them short and limited. For example, try 4 x 400 meter repeats, with 400 meter active recoveries, which can be done as a walk or a slow jog. Each time you do the repeats, you can try to add another one or shorten the recovery interval. If you complete 4 the first time, try 5 the next time. Once you get up to 8 repeats, make the repeats a little longer. Move up to 600 meters or 800 meters (.5 mile).

You can also mix the distances up, or do a pyramid. For example, you might do a series of repeats like this:

  • 200 meter repeat, 100 active recovery (AR)
  • 400 repeat, 200 AR
  • 600 repeat, 300 AR
  • 800 repeat, 400 AR
  • 600 repeat, 300 AR
  • 400 repeat, 200 AR
  • 200 repeat, 100 AR

You can also do repeats based on time, which is how I like to do them. Using time rather than distance is especially helpful if you don’t have access to a track or a treadmill.

When, I first started doing intervals, I would run 2 minutes fast, 2 minutes easy. Eventually, I worked on reducing the amount of recovery. For example, 2 minutes fast, 1 minute easy. Then, I added more time to the repeat – 3 minutes fast, 1.5 minutes easy, and so on.

Repeats are very hard on the body because we are running near or at maximal effort. Proceed with caution. I recommend doing them every other week at the most, and doing a tempo run on the opposite weeks. A coach that John consulted when he trained for his first 50-miler did not recommend doing repeats at all. In fact, he recommended doing only tempo runs. Indeed, tempo runs are excellent speed work – especially for those of us training for longer distances. Lately, I’ve stuck with tempo runs, avoiding the repeats for fear of re-aggravating my right hamstring.

Does it work?

I first introduced tempo and interval runs into my run training in early 2008. Within 6 months of focused training, my average pace for a basic endurance run increased by 60 seconds–while maintaining the same heart rate.

Today, I can run an 8 minute mile for 5 miles, and my heart rate will stay comfortably in the zone 2 (or 75-80% of my max). Three years ago, an 8 minute/mile pace was practically a sprint. On Sunday, March 12, I ran a 10 mile race, averaging a 7:38 min/mile, and my heart rate averaged 159 bpm, or just 82% of my max! And, I achieved this speed using only tempo runs. I haven’t done dedicated interval work for a long time.

Suffice to say, it works.

Tempo runs and repeats are not the only types of workouts we can do–but they are a great way to get started.

What types of running speed workouts do you do? Please share so we can all learn 🙂

References:

Faude, O., Kindermann, W., & Meyer, T. (2009). Lactate threshold concepts: How valid are they? Sports Medicine, 39(6), 469-490.

Friel, J. (2009). The Triathlete’s Training Bible (3rd ed.). Boulder, CO: Velo Press.

Grabowski, A.M., & Kram, R. (2008). Effects of velocity and weight support on ground reaction forces and metabolic power during running. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 24, 288-297.