Well you can't do the same thing all the time and expect
a different result meaning you need to change things around a bit and spend
some time outside your comfort zone.
Most of us try to avoid speed work because it hurts and
for the first timer it might not be as enjoyable as it feels like you're
starting from the beginning all over again.
This is when you need to be patient as the gains will
come quickly and speed work will not only make you faster but it will also
improve your fitness. But you can't just
do speed work! To avoid injury you need
to have already built up a good aerobic base and ideally have completed the
race distance you want to improve on.
Think of the aerobic base as the foundation on which to build further
fitness.
Hills:
For the beginner, Hills are a great way to start speed
work. You might not feel like you're
running fast but the increased effort to work against gravity will improve your
strength for the forward motion.
Try this:
6* 1 minute uphill with a gentle jog or walk back down
for recovery. Increase by 1 rep per week
up to 10 reps. This session will be as
hard as you want it to be and to begin with you take it easy and remember how
far a minute takes up and you can compare it as the weeks go by.
Fartlek:
Another session that's easy to try is the fartlek. This comes from the Swedish term for speed
play and it's basically an unstructured speed session and you just do what you
can for as long as you can. You decide
on the time, distance and pace for your fast running but don't overdo it.
Try this:
After 2K of easy running pick a point in the distance
which could be a lamppost and run at a pace that you can sustain until you get
to it. You then take as much time as
needed to recover and repeat until you want to cool down. Intervals can be as long or as short as you
want. If running with a friend you can
add a bit of uncertainty into the mix by taking turns at deciding the distance
and pace for reps.
Intervals:
For a more structured interval session you choose a set
distance and pace or for the beginner it can be time and pace.
Try this:
After your warm up run for 6*1 minutes at your target
race pace with I minute jog recovery. As
an example, if your 5K best time is 30 mins and you want to target 25 mins then
you would run at 5 min per K pace for 1 minute with 1 minute recovery and
repeat for 6. To work out pace you
should ideally use a GPS watch / smartphone app or if you have access to a
running track then you can work out your time per 100M to check your pace. For this example 100M should be covered in 30
seconds and your 1 minute interval should equal 200M.
As it becomes more manageable you can increase the length
of the intervals until you can run for 5 mins.
Do remember that when you increase the working time then you must also
increase the recovery time.
Do not run faster than you need to and only do enough to
achieve your goal.
For the first few sessions be cautious and introduce
yourself rather than jump straight in as you don't want the first session to be
your last. I see this quite regularly
and unless you have a coach to guide you then you'll need to be patient to
begin.
