Hi, Everyone!
After my last post about 200m intervals, someone asked, “What’re you doing the other days?”
They wanted the full picture. So here it is:
I run most days. Two are hard workouts. Faster intervals to build speed and fitness. The rest are easy recovery runs, plus one longer run for endurance and at least one full day off. I never stack hard days back-to-back.
That’s it.
That’s how I’d describe training for almost any race from the mile to the marathon. No specific splits, no specific distances. If you want that level of detail, hire a coach (like, oh, li’l ol’ me, for instance). Or if you can’t afford that, the internet is full of training plans (of varying quality) for any distance.
But the key thing is what I mentioned last week: my Secret to Running Faster. I wrote: “The trick is doing it in doses that build speed capacity without injury.”
When I coach kids, I love forecasting in practice that on Day X in a future practice, I’m going to share The Secret. I send parents an email: “Tell your kid to pay attention on this day because I’m sharing THE SECRET.”
On Day X, I gather them and wait for silence. Then I lean in, speak softly, and look over my shoulder.
“Okay, here it is.” (Looks back.) “The Secret To Running Faster.”
I check both ways to make sure nobody else is listening.
“If you wanna run faster…” Pause. “I’m not sure you’re ready for this.”
This irritates some of them. Hooks a few more.
“Okay, okay. Here’s the secret: If you wanna run faster… you have to…” Check behind me again. “You have to run faster.”
Then I stand up looking very smug.
After the guffaws and groans die down, I explain: That’s the simplest way to understand there are no shortcuts in running. No magic pill, no button, no “one weird trick.” You’ll just have to trust me that the kids don’t hate me. 🙂 They actually appreciate the honesty if not the theater.
If they follow what the coaches tell them, they’ll get faster. But fundamentally, if you want to run faster, you have to run faster. We structure workouts as short doses of running faster, then increase the distance or time, or decrease the rest between these faster doses until they’re running faster for longer.
That’s really all there is to it.
Sure, you can get super-scientific and nerdy, but whether you’re a middle schooler improving her 800m time or an elite marathoner qualifying for the Olympics, you’re doing some version of that.
You can apply this approach yourself:
Wanna do a 5K? Run a bit faster twice a week, slower on alternate days, long one day, at least one day off. Don’t do speed back-to-back. Over time, refine until you’re improving.
Wanna run a marathon? Same approach, different workouts. Instead of 200s and 400s, you’ll do 800m repeats faster than marathon pace but slower than 800m race pace.
Go for it!
Need new gear for running now that you’re going to apply The Secret? “In this economy?” A couple of my favorite places to find discounted gear that I trust are:
Relay Goods – unworn and returned performance footwear
New Balance Reconsidered – “contition graded” used or returned shoes and apparel
Brooks Restart – Gently used, inspected, cleaned. They even have top-end carbon-plated racers for less than half original retail.
Have a great weekend!
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