Episode 271 – Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Speed
Posted on May 29, 2017When I first started running I didn’t care as much about the speed as I did about the distance, I just wanted to be able to run from start to finish whether it was 2 miles, 4 miles and sometimes even 8 miles my goal was to finish it without walking, but at a certain point the distance wasn’t enough for me and I wanted to do it fast, not just faster, as fast as I possibly could regardless of the distance. Which required me to change up how I was running.
Today we’re talking running speed and the top 5 ways you can increase yours, now if you’re not interested in running and prefer other endurance sports or training activities like swimming, cycling, cross country skiing or snowshoeing, no need to the channel just yet, because every one of these techniques can be applied to your training as well. Here We Go.
Number 5 – Slow Down – I know this seems counterintuitive because I just said this list is about getting faster, but the truth is if you want to go faster for longer distances you need to build your aerobic capacity and this is done by running longer distances at slower paces. By building up your aerobic capacity you’ll be able to run for both longer and shorter distances at a faster cadence, with a lower heart rate. This means you won’t tire as quickly, which will get you to the finish line, that much faster. For example, if you’re training for a 5k race, but consistently do 8 or 10k at a slower speed than your 5k pace, it will help you increase your aerobic capacity, and maintain more speed on race day.
Number 4 – Run Faster – I know you’re thinking why won’t this guy make up his mind, but this needs to be a part of your training as well. If you want to get faster you have to train your muscles and your stride to go faster. This means doing slightly shorter distances and focussing on your form, pushing your leg back further than you normally would, swinging your arms almost to the point of exaggeration and really trying to spring forward with the faster cadence. I recommend having a set loop or a set out and back distance that stays the same for your entire training period and once per week focus on the speed of that loop, trying to do it a little bit faster every time or if that’s not your style you can run out for a certain period of time and try to cover a little more distance each time and then turn around and run back trying to run back to your starting point in that same amount time or less. It not only helps you get faster, but it also helps you understand you’re pacing and how to get that right, because the more consistent your pace at the highest speed you can handle for a given distance, the faster you’re going to be for your race.
Number 3 – Do Hills – Find a hill and don’t just run up it, sprint up it, then take a break as you walk down and then turn around and run up again, and again somewhere between 5 and 20 times depending on the size of the hill and the length of your race. Sprinting up hills develops the power mechanics of your stride. The muscles involved in your running stride learn to fire efficiently and effectively. Even if you normally have poor Glute activation you’ll still be able to feel them working as you run up the hill, this means your bum will be on fire.
Running up and down hills is also a form of interval training, which is one of the most effective ways to improve your VO2Max. Which for the sake of this show means your body will be able use more oxygen, at higher intensities, which means it will help you be faster during your races.
Number 2 – Take Care of Your Injuries – I know this may seem obvious, but it’s incredible the number of people we work with that try to ‘out train their pain’ is staggering. Don’t try to run through a bout of plantar fasciitis, it will only get worse. Don’t ignore that stabbing pain you’re getting in your hip, get it fixed. And trying to ‘run off’ runner’s knee is like a car trying to drive at high speed on the highway with a crooked axle, in other words it’s going to be rough.
Not only are you not get any faster running with an injury, but you can also be doing permanent damage to your body that may not be reversible. If you have an injury find the right people to help you deal with it, this may mean taking a few weeks off from running, and doing cross training instead. You may surprise yourself how much a good cycling or swimming program can help you maintain your running speed and who knows you might even find you get faster with cross training and you’ll want to keep it in your regular programming, even after your injury heals.
Number 1 – Add Variety Into Your Runs – Today I talked about doing slow runs, hill runs, fast runs and interval runs. A good training program will have all these things incorporated in it. By constantly changing your running styles it will keep your body guessing and adapting, which means changing and growing. Also, if you incorporate all of these aspects into your training program as well, it also guarantees that you’ll be running four or five days a week, which is the amount of consistency you’ll need to get faster.
In many ways running faster is much harder than running for distance, your heart rate is going to be higher most training days, you’re going to be more out of breath and there are times when you’re going to want to stop or maybe even throw up, but nothing is more exhilarating than crossing the finish line with a new PB and feeling awesome about not only doing it, but how hard you were able to make yourself work to get it done and that kind of focus and consistency is admirable. At least I think it is.
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