Many years ago my 5K and 10K times were excellent, but my half and full times did not equate, so I experimented with my training. I went to the track once a week and started running an 1/8 of a mile as fast as I could -then walked an 1/8th for a total of 1 mile running; when comfortable with that pace I upped the fast running to 1/2 a mile and walk an 1/8 for 2 miles running; then 1 mile as fast as I could and walk an 1/8 for 2 miles running; and finally running 2 miles as fast as I could. My next half and marathon times dropped significantly! The is no one plan that works for everyone - you have to experiment to see what works for you.
I’m trying to get back up to speed since having back problems. I have a vertebra that is out of alignment and can’t be fixed without surgery which I am not going to do. So I did physical therapy and got a CBD cream and a pain spray that works like magic. I went super slow at the BMW Dallas half, but I was shocked in the best possible way that I made the entire distance upright. Now I’d like to get a little faster so I’ve been doing the hill sprints and I’ll try the fartleks too; I had forgotten about those. Thanks for the suggestion! Happy running!!
Right back at you, Anne! Hope that back doesn't bother you too much -- and yes, give them a try! Remember you can do them *any* way you want -- the linked articles have some really good tips & suggestions on how. Let me know how it goes!
I go by the Chi Running method of going faster--FDS--which means focus, distance, speed. Also included in the runs are fartleks. hill climbs (Danny recommends a 1/2 ball placed up the hill where you run to get it) y-chi and numerous others. All of the techniques work! It snowed last night on my hill, so I'm not too interested in getting out--an ice storm alert came out yesterday, so I'm inside rowing! Got my little pin for rowing 200,000 meters last December. I'm on my way to the million meter marker--only 28,000 meters to go and that should be finished tomorrow. . . I get another little pin and a T-shirt! Wow! Finished the Valentine Challenge of 14000 meters in 2 days. Oh well, there are lots more to do and it keeps me physically fit until I can work in the garden again! The more I do, the closer I get to making it up that Hill. . . halfway up now without sticks. . . that's my goal!!!! Take care. . .hope it isn't snowing where you live. :)
The weather report said it was the coldest it had been since 2017! I wouldn't know. . .we were in Washington, but there is about 1/2 inch snow and the cars haven't moved.
Yep. . . I can hardly believe I have gone that far. . . doesn't seem like as much work as I did before, but I still love getting out in the fresh air and running! :) Nothing like it!
As seems to always be the case, this newsletter is truly fantastic!! My knee was feeling a little bit off last week, so I told myself I would take a week off. I've been down the road ( no pun intended) where I pushed through discomfort and whatever the issue was, it became painful. I am now easing back in and an observation I made after this morning's second run since my short and self-imposed break is that nothing makes me feel better physically and mentally than running. Swimming, yoga, strength training; etc. are fine but running....!!!Anyway, as much as I tend to be a numbers person, the fartlek really works for me. My OT recently asked me what a typical running week looks like as I plan for a half marathon in May. I shared with her what a fartlek is as I use one run to address speed. It truly is fun for this 65 year old. I feel in control and I decide when I feel like it's time for me to speed up using this approach. Thank you for sharing about the hill workouts as well. Just a great newsletter today, Terrell!!!!
Thanks so much! This post is fascinating and so helpful. I'm gonna give the simple fartlet thing a try, because I'd really like to up my pace. I find that running faster leaves me more energized and balanced for the rest of the day. On the other hand, getting obsessive about pace just backfires, so this basic method might be very effective.
A workout that my cross country team did in high school combined running uphill and sprinting. It’s fun in a group but can be done with one or two other runners. Basically, run single file uphill at a good pace. The last runner has to sprint or pick up the pace to pass all runners to reach the head of the line. Then, the next runner sprints to the top of the line. Etc. You can vary the pace and time that each runner spends in the lead position. I suppose you can also do this without running uphill.
I’m kind of at a plateau right now. It’s tough in. The winter because I’m a big baby about the cold so it’s been a lot of treadmill hopping for a 1:57 or so at my next half but we’ll see might be a bit to lofty a goal it’s a downhill race which sounds awesome but I’ve heard from a few people that it’s not as easy as it sounds 😬. Anyway I’m also a little tech backward so I couldn’t figure out how to reply to the ultra question last post, I have not yet decided which one to try but I’m very open to suggestions if anyone has any.
Great recap. To me, you've hit many key points that will help improve speed. What's worked for me most is one thing: PATIENCE. Twenty-two years ago, when I ran my first marathon, I suffered a ton, and I barely pulled off a sub-3:30 finish. Fifteen years later, when I picked up running again, I learned that running well takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and resilience. On this journey, there's failure, success, failure, success, failure ... and to get better requires patience. When I say "patience," it's not to say we sit on one's hands and wait for the magic to happen. Rather, it's that we must continue to stack bricks, day after day after day. Sometimes you'll add a little to the pile, sometimes you'll add a lot. But the important thing is that you keep at it. Keep working. Keep grinding.
From a practical aspect, I have loved incorporating 4-6 x 20-30 sec strides at the end of my run (I do that 1-2 times per week). It helps with turnover and form, without stressing the body. I'll also incorporate one dedicated speed session a week (I typically run 6 days/week). If I'm training for an ultra, the speed workout could look like this: 2 mi warmup + 6 x 3min at 10k pace, 3 min recovery jog + 2 mi cool down. Or 6 x 3 min hills with 2-mi warmup and 2-mi cooldown. All of this work builds mental and physical resilience, and this builds over time. Plus, it's fun.
Through this persistence -- through this patience and brick-stacking -- I've become a significantly better runner at 47 than I was at 25.
I literally just came in from a speed workout. Even though they are hard, and I sometimes have to talk myself into them (as I did on this cold, damp, dark morning...), it's easy to forget that they are also *fun*!
I thought of this as I was in the midst of 5 5-minute pushes (which I broke down to 2.5 minutes x 2, because it was more fun that way). Right before I get to that place where it is really hard and I want to stop, I get to a place where I feel like a kid, flying along. I try to keep that place in mind :)
Many years ago my 5K and 10K times were excellent, but my half and full times did not equate, so I experimented with my training. I went to the track once a week and started running an 1/8 of a mile as fast as I could -then walked an 1/8th for a total of 1 mile running; when comfortable with that pace I upped the fast running to 1/2 a mile and walk an 1/8 for 2 miles running; then 1 mile as fast as I could and walk an 1/8 for 2 miles running; and finally running 2 miles as fast as I could. My next half and marathon times dropped significantly! The is no one plan that works for everyone - you have to experiment to see what works for you.
Strength training can also help to improve your pace!
I’m trying to get back up to speed since having back problems. I have a vertebra that is out of alignment and can’t be fixed without surgery which I am not going to do. So I did physical therapy and got a CBD cream and a pain spray that works like magic. I went super slow at the BMW Dallas half, but I was shocked in the best possible way that I made the entire distance upright. Now I’d like to get a little faster so I’ve been doing the hill sprints and I’ll try the fartleks too; I had forgotten about those. Thanks for the suggestion! Happy running!!
Right back at you, Anne! Hope that back doesn't bother you too much -- and yes, give them a try! Remember you can do them *any* way you want -- the linked articles have some really good tips & suggestions on how. Let me know how it goes!
Hill repeats are the bomb! I’ve embraced my slowish pace, BUT I still love to incorporate hill repeats over any other option to increase speed.
I go by the Chi Running method of going faster--FDS--which means focus, distance, speed. Also included in the runs are fartleks. hill climbs (Danny recommends a 1/2 ball placed up the hill where you run to get it) y-chi and numerous others. All of the techniques work! It snowed last night on my hill, so I'm not too interested in getting out--an ice storm alert came out yesterday, so I'm inside rowing! Got my little pin for rowing 200,000 meters last December. I'm on my way to the million meter marker--only 28,000 meters to go and that should be finished tomorrow. . . I get another little pin and a T-shirt! Wow! Finished the Valentine Challenge of 14000 meters in 2 days. Oh well, there are lots more to do and it keeps me physically fit until I can work in the garden again! The more I do, the closer I get to making it up that Hill. . . halfway up now without sticks. . . that's my goal!!!! Take care. . .hope it isn't snowing where you live. :)
It's not, but it's cold (again)! So tomorrow, you'll notch a million meters? That's amazing, Nilima!!
The weather report said it was the coldest it had been since 2017! I wouldn't know. . .we were in Washington, but there is about 1/2 inch snow and the cars haven't moved.
Yep. . . I can hardly believe I have gone that far. . . doesn't seem like as much work as I did before, but I still love getting out in the fresh air and running! :) Nothing like it!
As seems to always be the case, this newsletter is truly fantastic!! My knee was feeling a little bit off last week, so I told myself I would take a week off. I've been down the road ( no pun intended) where I pushed through discomfort and whatever the issue was, it became painful. I am now easing back in and an observation I made after this morning's second run since my short and self-imposed break is that nothing makes me feel better physically and mentally than running. Swimming, yoga, strength training; etc. are fine but running....!!!Anyway, as much as I tend to be a numbers person, the fartlek really works for me. My OT recently asked me what a typical running week looks like as I plan for a half marathon in May. I shared with her what a fartlek is as I use one run to address speed. It truly is fun for this 65 year old. I feel in control and I decide when I feel like it's time for me to speed up using this approach. Thank you for sharing about the hill workouts as well. Just a great newsletter today, Terrell!!!!
Love hearing this -- and so glad you're feeling better, Debby!!
Or in my case, how to run slower and not be embarrassed.
Thanks so much! This post is fascinating and so helpful. I'm gonna give the simple fartlet thing a try, because I'd really like to up my pace. I find that running faster leaves me more energized and balanced for the rest of the day. On the other hand, getting obsessive about pace just backfires, so this basic method might be very effective.
A workout that my cross country team did in high school combined running uphill and sprinting. It’s fun in a group but can be done with one or two other runners. Basically, run single file uphill at a good pace. The last runner has to sprint or pick up the pace to pass all runners to reach the head of the line. Then, the next runner sprints to the top of the line. Etc. You can vary the pace and time that each runner spends in the lead position. I suppose you can also do this without running uphill.
I’m kind of at a plateau right now. It’s tough in. The winter because I’m a big baby about the cold so it’s been a lot of treadmill hopping for a 1:57 or so at my next half but we’ll see might be a bit to lofty a goal it’s a downhill race which sounds awesome but I’ve heard from a few people that it’s not as easy as it sounds 😬. Anyway I’m also a little tech backward so I couldn’t figure out how to reply to the ultra question last post, I have not yet decided which one to try but I’m very open to suggestions if anyone has any.
Great recap. To me, you've hit many key points that will help improve speed. What's worked for me most is one thing: PATIENCE. Twenty-two years ago, when I ran my first marathon, I suffered a ton, and I barely pulled off a sub-3:30 finish. Fifteen years later, when I picked up running again, I learned that running well takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and resilience. On this journey, there's failure, success, failure, success, failure ... and to get better requires patience. When I say "patience," it's not to say we sit on one's hands and wait for the magic to happen. Rather, it's that we must continue to stack bricks, day after day after day. Sometimes you'll add a little to the pile, sometimes you'll add a lot. But the important thing is that you keep at it. Keep working. Keep grinding.
From a practical aspect, I have loved incorporating 4-6 x 20-30 sec strides at the end of my run (I do that 1-2 times per week). It helps with turnover and form, without stressing the body. I'll also incorporate one dedicated speed session a week (I typically run 6 days/week). If I'm training for an ultra, the speed workout could look like this: 2 mi warmup + 6 x 3min at 10k pace, 3 min recovery jog + 2 mi cool down. Or 6 x 3 min hills with 2-mi warmup and 2-mi cooldown. All of this work builds mental and physical resilience, and this builds over time. Plus, it's fun.
Through this persistence -- through this patience and brick-stacking -- I've become a significantly better runner at 47 than I was at 25.
I literally just came in from a speed workout. Even though they are hard, and I sometimes have to talk myself into them (as I did on this cold, damp, dark morning...), it's easy to forget that they are also *fun*!
I thought of this as I was in the midst of 5 5-minute pushes (which I broke down to 2.5 minutes x 2, because it was more fun that way). Right before I get to that place where it is really hard and I want to stop, I get to a place where I feel like a kid, flying along. I try to keep that place in mind :)