When will I run faster?

vick9180

Having a solid base of junk miles certainly helps covering the distance easier. But to really increase your speed, it's about adding in some speedplay (or fartleks) and intervals. Getting your legs used to turning over faster helps tremendously in being able to pick up the speed, and the base miles will help you in maintaining the pace. You might try getting in a couple of days of intervals or fartleks each week to work on your speed.

An example of a good interval workout would be doing 6-8 repeat 400s (1/4 mile) at race pace with 2-3 minute recovery. Get a good warm up and cool down in there as well. That would be a good gauge to see where you're at.

I ran competitively for 8 years, both in high school and college, and coached for 5 years...also have my degree in exercise science. Feel free to friend me or message me for any other tips! Currently training for a half marathon.

Thanks so much! I will! Those track workouts are what helped me! I dread them but love them afterwards. the first time I had some calf discomfort from the speed, I guess I was running high on the balls of my feet. Not landing full heel.

Getting up on the balls of your feet is necessary for increasing speed. It's definitely different than a normal distance runner foot strike. When you're doing your intervals, focus on putting your shoulders slightly in front of your hips and keeping your body straight. That'll force your knees to come up and make you land more on the ball off your foot than your heels. Making that adjustment in your form will make your body a little more efficient since you get more spring from the ball of your foot than the heel. True, you'll get some calf soreness after because you're using your muscles a little differently, but you might also feel like you're using less effort while gaining more speed. Try it out and update me on how it works for you.

maggie4097

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