Runner's Training Tips: How do I build up speed

Dan,

You want to get a good mileage base before working on the speed. You still have plenty of time before your half to get both distance up and pace down. Keep increasing your mileage by about 10% per week. You might als want to consider running more frequently as well. Try adding an additional workout per week every month until you are getting in 5-6. www.McMillanRunning.com has a great site on training. It is geared somewhat towards elite runners, but the information is really good for understanding how your body adapts to the streesses of running and how you can take adavantage of that.

Hi

Thanks for your advice guys.  As of next week i am going to increase the amount of runs i do per week.  It tried running more frequently when i first started (approx 3 weeks) ago and found that i was starting to get shin splints, so thought i had better have a few more rest days and gradually build myself up.  (I say rest days, on the days i do not run i take a step class, circuit training and a body pump class every week)

 I think i need to break out of the habbit of trying to feel comfortable whilst i am running - Mike those speed work sessions look like they would do that!! 

I actually work in Derby ,so the club is not far from me.  Can you just attend the running session?  I think i shall definately look into joining a running club.  Like you say, doing it in such an environment will really push you to do as best you can.

Which HM are you doing Mike?

 

Hi Dan,

Well well - small world!

I just attend the running session that TFN put on - i'm not into tri, and its no problem. Membership of the club is £12 I think for the year, which is a requirement for insurance purposes, and each session is then £2. Its pretty good for what you get I think.

I'm not an expert or anything, but a word to the wise. Running is one of the hardest forms of exercise you can inflict on yourself (except arguably something like football due to the twisting action on the knees). It takes some time for your bones to get harder and muscles to get stronger in order to adapt to the extra stresses you are placing on them. If you have only been seriously running for 3 weeks now, less is probably more. If you look at HM training programs that assume you already have a decent level of fitness, they are often 3-4 months in length. This means you still have plenty of time. You have already found that trying to do too much led to shin problems, so sticking to your 3 runs a week might be for the best....

 ....not to mention the fact that you are doing other excersises on the 'off days'. Remember, resting is very important - this is when you are getting stronger and fitter, as its the time when the body is reparing itself.

All of that said, everyone is different and you just have to make a judgement call.

It the Robin Hood HM by the way - sounds like I might see you there?!

Mike 

I'm also in the training regime for a half coming up in september. I like to have fun with my workouts. fartlek, or 'speed play' is a great way to up the pace without worrying about all the numbers ( i tend to get confused and bothered by trying to calculate paces and splits). take a nice easy / moderate running pace and as you trot along simply point out something in the distance like a telephone poll or a funky looking tree. pick up the pace until you get to your maker, then resume your slower pace as a recovery. you can do this whenever you want, as long as you want and as hard as you want. pretty simple really.

Sorry for butting in with my own questions, but hopefully any answers will be of use to you too. I'm also doing the Robin Hood HM in September (and my first full marathon in Amsterdam in October), and I'm struggling with the speed training. The main problem is lack of motivation, and the biggest reason for this is that whenever I've done it, it doesn't feel like I've achieved anything.

Perhaps I'm not pushing myself enough? Should I be exhausted at the end of it? If I'm not, should I carry on until I am?

Hi Danie23,

The half-marathon is all about your aerobic capacity. Everytime you take a stride, your body needs oxygen to make the movement. The faster/longer the strides, the more oxygen you need. All the while you can provide enough O2 to the working muscles, you are working aerobically. The point just before you work so hard you can no longer send enough O2 to the muscles is you aerobic threshold. This can be developed for years and huge gains made. Thus if a 9 min/mile is how fast you run at your aerobic threshold now, when you increase the threshold, you could run 8.30 min/mile, then 8 min/mile etc.

On top of that, you have an anaerobic capacity. When you can't provide enough O2 to the muscles, you get a build up of acid which you feel as a burning sensation, your muscles work slower and slower until you are forced to stop. This is the anaerobic threshold and can only be developed minimally and is partially dependant on genetics.

I'm now 25 and when I was in my late teens, I used to love middle distance running. However, my mind set was that to run fast, you had to train fast and was hammering out 'sets' or 'intervals' everyday down the track, but never ran better than a 2:30 800m. Having failed to set the world alight, I stopped running.

Until now. I've just decided to train for the marathon next year and came across Arthur Lydiards principles. He says it's best to train your aerobic threshold by running as much as you can. the last 10 weeks or so before the target race is when you work on tweaking you anaerobic threshold, which you can push to it's maximum during this short time. He advocates running time, not distance and recommends 'out-and-back' runs, say 30 minutes out, 30 minutes back. This gives you a good feel for maintaining an even pace.

I've been doing this for a month now, running everyday which is one of his more controversial principles. My times have come down from 32 min/5km to 21 min/5km and a 42:50/10km. As you jog, you build a stonger heart, you increase the number of red blood cells in your blood, increase the amount of capilliaries in your working muscles etc, and this all means you can transport more oxygen to the working muscles, thus they can work harder but still aerobically., and your speed will improve. However, this all takes time and progress should be measured every 3weeks-Month instead of every day or else you will become disheartened.

If you're interested in Lydiard, I've started a forum called 'Lydiard Principle' which has links to his theories and documents the progress i make as I use it to train for the marathon.

 Good luck!!