*** Runners' Team * 50+ and 100+ Miles in July *

I ran 5 miles yesterday (7/25). Thanks

Ran 6.1 miles yesterday.

7.1 miles yesterday and 6 today. My short and fast runs are nether short nor fast... Any tips on how to speed up?

You have a great aerobic base to support some faster running.

First, you don't really need to do your shorter runs faster. They can be at an easy pace too. Developing speed doesn't mean that you need to run for extended periods at a faster speed. It means that you need to incorporate some other elements into your program that will help that speed develop so you can break it out on race day. Most training programs will contain the following elements:

1. Tempo run - This is usually done at your LT pace, which is about the pace you can run for an hour under race conditions. The classic Daniels tempo run is 20 minutes long. You would do one of your normal 6 to 10 mile runs and do 20 minutes at that LT pace somewhere in the second half of your run. This makes sure you have a proper warm up and cool down. Tempo runs are typically done once a week.

2. Interval workouts - This category contains a lot of different workouts at a lot of different paces. Loosely define as periods of work bouts separated by recovery periods, either active or inactive. These can range from 200m up to a mile or so. Pace is dependent upon the distance, as is the recovery period. Interval sessions are commonly run once every week or two.

3. Fartlek workouts - This translates to "speed play". This can be structured or unstructured. Unstructured would be, run to the next telephone pole as fast as you can, then slow down, do a portion at LT pace, sprint a little bit, run slow for a while. Structured, they function more like an interval workout. You might do 6x3:00@ xx pace with 1:30 recovery. These are usually done once every week or two. I would alternate this workout with interval workouts.

4. Strides or Pickups - One a week or so, at the end of a run, you do some fast running at somewhere between 5K and mile race pace. If someone has never done them before, I say start out with 4x40 meters for a month, then 6x60 meters for a month, building to the 10x100 meter range. Recover time should be about a minute between each, or if you do them on a soccer field (which I like to do do), jog back to the start for recovery. These give you multiple benefits. Your body gets used to running fast, you recruit some fast twitch muscles that you'll need toward the end of races when you get tired and all this benefit comes without lactic acid build up because the repeats are so short.

5. Long Run - Just what is sounds like. A run somewhere between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours. Done as easy run pace with maybe picking it up at the end. Once a week.

Okay, with all that being said, most of the running will be at easy run pace. I do probably 85% of my running at my easy run pace, which is between 9:45 and 8:45 pace. I do two hard workouts a week, making sure there are easy days between them.

So, putting together a plan with these elements is how you get faster. As you continue to work through the plan, your easy run pace will get faster naturally too. In order to find out what you paces should be for all these different types of workouts, I suggest Greg McMillans pace calculator found here:

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/index.php/calcUsage/calculate

Hope this helps.

7.1 miles yesterday and 6 today. My short and fast runs are nether short nor fast... Any tips on how to speed up?

You have a great aerobic base to support some faster running.

First, you don't really need to do your shorter runs faster. They can be at an easy pace too. Developing speed doesn't mean that you need to run for extended periods at a faster speed. It means that you need to incorporate some other elements into your program that will help that speed develop so you can break it out on race day. Most training programs will contain the following elements:

1. Tempo run - This is usually done at your LT pace, which is about the pace you can run for an hour under race conditions. The classic Daniels tempo run is 20 minutes long. You would do one of your normal 6 to 10 mile runs and do 20 minutes at that LT pace somewhere in the second half of your run. This makes sure you have a proper warm up and cool down. Tempo runs are typically done once a week.

2. Interval workouts - This category contains a lot of different workouts at a lot of different paces. Loosely define as periods of work bouts separated by recovery periods, either active or inactive. These can range from 200m up to a mile or so. Pace is dependent upon the distance, as is the recovery period. Interval sessions are commonly run once every week or two.

3. Fartlek workouts - This translates to "speed play". This can be structured or unstructured. Unstructured would be, run to the next telephone pole as fast as you can, then slow down, do a portion at LT pace, sprint a little bit, run slow for a while. Structured, they function more like an interval workout. You might do 6x3:00@ xx pace with 1:30 recovery. These are usually done once every week or two. I would alternate this workout with interval workouts.

4. Strides or Pickups - One a week or so, at the end of a run, you do some fast running at somewhere between 5K and mile race pace. If someone has never done them before, I say start out with 4x40 meters for a month, then 6x60 meters for a month, building to the 10x100 meter range. Recover time should be about a minute between each, or if you do them on a soccer field (which I like to do do), jog back to the start for recovery. These give you multiple benefits. Your body gets used to running fast, you recruit some fast twitch muscles that you'll need toward the end of races when you get tired and all this benefit comes without lactic acid build up because the repeats are so short.

5. Long Run - Just what is sounds like. A run somewhere between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours. Done as easy run pace with maybe picking it up at the end. Once a week.

Okay, with all that being said, most of the running will be at easy run pace. I do probably 85% of my running at my easy run pace, which is between 9:45 and 8:45 pace. I do two hard workouts a week, making sure there are easy days between them.

So, putting together a plan with these elements is how you get faster. As you continue to work through the plan, your easy run pace will get faster naturally too. In order to find out what you paces should be for all these different types of workouts, I suggest Greg McMillans pace calculator found here:

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/index.php/calcUsage/calculate

Hope this helps.

That is really helpful! I've sort of been doing #4, I didn't know there was a proper name to it. I will definitely read up on, and start incorporating thees things into my routine. Thanks so much, you're awesome!

Did a 4 miler this morning taking me to 91 for the month. Tomorrow is off, but I should get my Hundred Sunday if all goes well.

3.5 miles in 37:20, Avg 10:40, Splits 10:28 - 10:42 - 10:48 - last half mile in 5:21, 91F, DP 74, Feel Like 100F, Sunny, Windy

Ducks, Coromots, Lizards, Oh My.

WTD4: 16.5 miles
MTD: 106.9

6.2 done at lunch today!

6 tonight

6.51 mile run in 1 hour 12 minutes and 5.46 seconds, Avg Pace 11:05, Splits 11:07 - 11:01 - 11:15 - 11:13 - 11:09 - 11:04 - last .51 miles in 5:17, 92F. DP 76, Feels Like 104F, Sunny, Breezy

Wheh...that was a hot one. Face started to feel a little flush sometime after the 5th mile, decided I had better cut my run a bit short rather than chance too much heat exposure.

WTD4: 23 miles
MTD: 113.4 (met my goal for the month)

--Chris