Push from a 10 min mile to a 9 min mile, advise please

sammyneb

I agree with all of the above. I have ran two half marathons and am currently training for my third and fourth. Log lots of miles (don't overtrain, but log lots of miles this traning cycle I have actually been logging a lot more miles (avg. 29 a week vs. the 23-24 of the last cycle) I have started actual hill training (find a hill and run up it as fast as you for can 60-90 seconds then jog down, then repeat ( I did that once a week for 4 weeks and have already had a leap of improvement!) and I have just started interval training. About once every 3-4 weeks I run a magic mile (google magic mile Jeff Galloway) and I have improved that from 8:21 to 7:41 in 8 weeks. And Cross train. I run 4 days a week, cardio cross train two days a week and rest one day. (I will usually throw in some strenght training on cross training days too) But number 1. LOG LOTS OF MILES, 2. Your log run 3. speedwork (in order of importance)
Hope that helps

randalkeith

check out pacing music at jog.fm
- intervals and fartleks
- run for longer
- incorporate some hill trainings

Hills really help me. It's like lifting...if you increase your weight then next week go back down you're like "man this is easy".

bluefox9er

building speed, or sufficient endurance to sustain a faster pace to be more accurate came for me after running miles,miles,miles. and then more miles.

meshashesha2012

check out pacing music at jog.fm
- intervals and fartleks
- run for longer
- incorporate some hill trainings

How does one do hill training, there are hills in my normal route. Steep and gentle. Do you just run more hills or ind more hilly routes?

at the moment i do it by intervals until i can find suitable routes AND i'm fit enough to do them and not feel disheartened when i cant.

what i do now is to run up and down a good sized hill on my normal route. it's a side street that's a little over 250 m

KeithAngilly

From this article: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/dirty-dozen?page=single

"MISTAKE 3: NEGLECT SPEED

In the summer of 1984, Andy DiConti (my best running buddy) and I moved to Santa Barbara to escape the Los Angeles smog. That summer, we logged more than 100 miles per week. And we ran it all -- long runs, short runs, hill runs, trail runs--at 6 minutes per mile or faster. I'd run a 4:10 mile the previous spring, and figured to destroy that time in the fall. Instead, come September, in a time trial, I could barely break 5 minutes.

Contrary to popular belief, we runners cannot live on high mileage alone. Even during base training, we benefit from a modest dose of faster training. Here's what happens when we skip strength and speed work entirely:

Atrophy of intermediate and fast-twitch fibers
Decrease in neuromuscular recruitment and efficiency
Increase in lactate accumulation during high-intensity exercise (and corresponding rise in acidosis)
Decreased muscle buffering capacity

Heck, it's a wonder I managed to break 5 minutes at all.

The Fix: Pick up the pace

Incorporating some faster training allows us to maintain strong fibers, retain neuromuscular efficiency and stop our buffering capacity from dwindling to the point of no return. Regular sessions of short hill repeats, fast strides or form drills reinforce muscle fiber and nervous system development. Moderate tempo, fartlek or hill runs preserve lactate removal and buffering capacity."


My own admittedly inexperienced opinion is that you need all three: speed, tempo and distance. If you are interested in challenging yourself a little, check out the furman first progam. There are prescribed paces that are, in their words "challenging, but doable". It is not a program for folks who want to just go for a run, but rather a focused program that so far, has worked well for me.

Good luck!

twoboysnmygirl

Great suggestions in this thread!

oliviabog

From this article: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/dirty-dozen?page=single

"MISTAKE 3: NEGLECT SPEED

In the summer of 1984, Andy DiConti (my best running buddy) and I moved to Santa Barbara to escape the Los Angeles smog. That summer, we logged more than 100 miles per week. And we ran it all -- long runs, short runs, hill runs, trail runs--at 6 minutes per mile or faster. I'd run a 4:10 mile the previous spring, and figured to destroy that time in the fall. Instead, come September, in a time trial, I could barely break 5 minutes.

Contrary to popular belief, we runners cannot live on high mileage alone. Even during base training, we benefit from a modest dose of faster training. Here's what happens when we skip strength and speed work entirely:

Atrophy of intermediate and fast-twitch fibers
Decrease in neuromuscular recruitment and efficiency
Increase in lactate accumulation during high-intensity exercise (and corresponding rise in acidosis)
Decreased muscle buffering capacity

Heck, it's a wonder I managed to break 5 minutes at all.

The Fix: Pick up the pace

Incorporating some faster training allows us to maintain strong fibers, retain neuromuscular efficiency and stop our buffering capacity from dwindling to the point of no return. Regular sessions of short hill repeats, fast strides or form drills reinforce muscle fiber and nervous system development. Moderate tempo, fartlek or hill runs preserve lactate removal and buffering capacity."


My own admittedly inexperienced opinion is that you need all three: speed, tempo and distance. If you are interested in challenging yourself a little, check out the furman first progam. There are prescribed paces that are, in their words "challenging, but doable". It is not a program for folks who want to just go for a run, but rather a focused program that so far, has worked well for me.

Good luck!
[/quote

Thanks for that, i appreciate the physiology. Much to consider from this