Speed training for distance runners

Recently, when we asked five different runners to define 'speed work', here's how they replied:

(1) 'A good speed workout is eight 200-metre repetitions on the track at considerably faster than race speed, with 30 seconds of rest between intervals.'

(2) 'For me, speed work involves three up-tempo, one-mile repeats on a hilly course, with about five minutes of rest in between.'

(3) 'Speed work is 400- or 800-metre intervals on the track at a little faster than 5-K velocity, with 400 metres of jogging in between.'

(4) 'My speed work consists of 10 times 100 metres at nearly full speed, with a minute or two of rest after each repetition.'

(5) 'Speed work? I just run my regular four-mile workout faster than usual.'

It' s clear from these disparate - but representative - answers that the running community has lost its definition of the term 'speed work' - and can't seem to find it again. Note that in the five responses there is no agreement at all concerning the two key elements of a speed session - the actual running velocity and the distance to be covered during the workout. In fact, the only common thread in the five replies is a recognition that speed work should be carried out at a faster-than-usual pace.

When we asked the runners about WHEN speed work should actually be conducted, there was again little unanimity. One runner said, 'During the four weeks before my most important competition', another said, 'Pretty much throughout the year,' and one simply stated 'During the racing season.'

Even more disappointing was the fact that the athletes had no 'statement of purpose' for their speed workouts. They couldn't tell us exactly HOW their speedy efforts would make them faster in their preferred races. Their general notion was that if they ran more quickly during workouts now and then, some of that speed would magically appear during their competitions.

Spelling out the hows, whens and whats This confusion about speed work is sad, because most serious runners do have pretty good endurance (they can run for a long time at a modest pace), but they have barely scratched the surface of their speed potential. They're great at carrying out long endurance- building training runs, but they don't have a systematic way of truly developing their speed.

So how should endurance runners do speed work, when should it be carried out, and how should it vary for different types of runners? To answer those questions, we need to remember that speed work does involve running at or above race pace and that the specific purpose of speed work is to improve efficiency, flexibility, coordination, muscle power, and thus running speed, but we also need to bear in mind that speed work must be appropriate for the individual runner and will be different for the individual preparing for the marathon, compared to the runner who is getting ready for the 5K. Speed work should be adjusted to suit a runner's competitive needs.

This has become more clear to us over the past few years as we've observed various runners carrying out their speed workouts. Some things that runners have done have really shocked us. For example, we have observed marathon runners whose goal was to run at slightly. faster than seven-minute per mile pace in a marathon do 'speed workouts' consisting of 400- metre intervals in 75-78 seconds each!

Such workouts were speed sessions only in the sense that the runners were running faster than they would in any race - and were increasing their chances of ripping their hamstring muscles to shreds. On one occasion, we asked the runners, 'How will your 75- second 400-metre pace, which translates into about five minutes per mile, help you hold 6:50-6:55 tempo in a marathon?' When they stammered that the session would somehow help them become faster runners, and that their new swiftness would allow them to run the marathon more quickly, we simply asked them when the five-minute per mile workout speed would actually be used. Would it suddenly come to the fore in the 10th mile of the marathon? The 15th? The 20th? Or would it appear in the final rush to the finish line, even though glycogen stores would be almost totally wiped out?

The truth is that such speed would not have appeared again until the runners' next speed workouts. Their brief bursts at five-minute pace would in fact help them do their next workouts at five-minute pace - but would not assist them in gliding through 26 miles at 6:55 tempo. The two velocities are just too dissimilar. The point is that the goal of speed work should be to help you run faster during your races - not just during your training sessions. If you're running fast just to run fast, then you're doing 'rubbish speed'. It's far better to choose a velocity in a speed workout which will carry over to - and be usable in - a competitive situation.

Given the ability levels of these marathon trainers, their 75-second quarters might have been okay if they were training to run 800 metres or the mile, but they weren't appropriate for the marathon. The 75-second intervals were nearly full-speed for these marathonees, and the neuromuscular patterns and physiology of energy production are completely different during full-tilt intervals, compared to marathon running. To properly prepare for a marathon, the idea is to raise lactate- threshold speed (LTS) as high as possible and build enough speed-endurance to run the whole race just 2- to 3-per cent slower than LTS. True, the 75-second 400 metre jaunts might have improved running economy a bit, but they probably would have had the greatest effect on running economy at nearly maximal speed, not at tempos which were close to marathon pace.

A lesson from Ondiek

Thinking about the topic of an appropriate velocity for speed work always makes us think about how Yobes Ondieki prepared specifically to set a world record in the 10K a few years ago. In a special workout he created, Ondieki would run the full 10 kilometres broken down into intervals, with each interval run at slightly faster than world-record pace. Between each interval, Ondieki would take a remarkably short recovery lasting just a few seconds. His idea was to match the overall intensity of the workout with the intensity of a world-record performance. Since he was taking recoveries during the workout - which he could not take during the race - he felt it was important to make each interval faster than actual world-record pace. Thus the greater-than-required pace and greater ease induced by the recoveries would 'balance' each other and produce an overall effort comparable to a world-record 10K.

In fact, when Ondieki actually broke the world record, he reported to us that his great race felt a bit easier than his workout. One reason for that, of course, was that he had chosen a speed-workout velocity which was just slightly faster than the pace required for the record. He gradually developed the ability to function extremely well at that velocity, and of course it made world-record pace feel comparatively easy. Ondieki's speed workouts were not full- or super-high-speed efforts, but they were appropriate because they were very in tune with the demands of his key competitive effort.

The specifics

When should your speed training be carried out, and how should you actually do it - depending on the types of races you like to run or the amount of fitness you're trying to gain? What are the best speed sessions for the marathon, 10K, 5K, etc.? Below you'll find key questions about speed work, along with the appropriate answers:

Question: During what part of the training year should speed work be performed?

Answer: Many runners spend the major part of the training year doing mainly long, slow aerobic running, along with some tempo work and occasional weight training thrown in to improve strength. A few weeks before the competitive season starts or before 'the big race,' these runners throw in some shorter, faster training runs in the hope that they will suddenly be transformed into speed demons. This traditional approach is based on the idea that longer, steady running will provide a good 'base' for the faster speed training which comes later. Also, the limiting of speed work to relatively short, well-defined periods of time emanates from the popular idea that speed work 'burns out' runners and leads to overtraining and injury. There are four problems with this conventional 'aerobic-base followed-by-speed' approach:

1. Although it' s beloved by runners and coaches alike, and lots of really successful coaches have advocated it, there's no evidence that it actually works better than a scheme which emphasizes speed training more or less throughout the year - or at least for longer periods of time.
2. The long periods of base training which precede speed training actually teach runners to run more slowly. True, the base periods can strengthen connective tissues, but they tend to lower - not increase - muscle power, and the steady, monotonous 'base' running tends to limit flexibility and curtail range-of- motion at the joints, harming running speed. The subsequent period of speed training thus becomes an attempt to re-coup the speed that has been lost, not a bold step-up to significantly higher running speeds.
3. For endurance runners, speed is something which must be nurtured and developed over time. Limiting speed work to short periods of time makes it impossible to 'milk' all the potential speed out of an individual runner.
4. Speed training per se does not produce overtraining and injury. It's only when speed work is overdone that problems result.

It's important to remember that the improvement of running speed is a complex process which is controlled by the brain and nervous system. In order for a runner to move more quickly, the leg muscles of course have to contract more quickly, but the brain and nervous system also have to learn how to control these faster movements efficiently. This means that it's important to carry out at least some speed work year-round if you want to achieve the best results. If you maintain some form of speed training throughout the year, your brain and spinal cord won't lose the 'feel' of running fast and won't have to re-learn the proper control patterns at a later date.

That doesn't mean that intensive sprint or speed training must be carried out continuously. However, it does mean that runners who are not blessed with 'natural speed' should emphasise some form of speed work during most weeks of their training year.

Q: During what part of the training week should you perform speed work?

A: It's hard to carry out speed training properly when your muscles and nervous system are tired, because your muscles will have trouble functioning at a higher- than-usual rate, and your nervous system will have problems controlling the muscles optimally. It makes sense, then, to complete a speed session after a period of rest or light training. It's for this reason that speed workouts are usually placed near the beginning of a training week - on Monday if Sunday is a rest day or on Tuesday if Sunday is a long-run day and Monday is reserved for recovery. Putting a speed workout at the end of the week - when you're feeling tired - doesn't make much sense.

Some runners disagree with this and argue that to improve 'speed endurance,' which is the ability to run fast over prolonged periods of time, it's important to work on speed when one is already somewhat tired - to simulate the situation which will prevail during races. While runners desiring to improve their 'kicks' at the ends of races do need to practise running fast while fatigued, running speedily while tired during workouts can increase the risk of injury and also changes 'muscle recruitment patterns' - the way in which muscles are activated by the nervous system. Overall, the precise neuromuscular patterns needed for maximal gains in speed won't be activated during workouts, so advancements in speed will not be optimised.

Q: During what part of a workout should you perform speed work?

A: It's clear that it's usually best to place speed work early in the workout, immediately following the warm- up, when the neuromuscular system is 'fresh and excitable'. Any other training which is included in a session should be of low intensity and may include easy, aerobic running or other low-energy activities such as comfortable limbering and relaxed stretching.

Q: What different types of speed work should be employed?

A: Many runners become bored with speed work because they think of it as endless repetitions on the track. This boredom then translates into a lack of concentration which makes it difficult to carry out speed workouts properly with the right neuromuscular coordination. The solution is often to get off the track and make speed sessions more exciting. Here are some possibilities:

(1) Run at faster than your usual race pace on a slightly downward, two- to three-degree slope (about two to three feet of drop for every 90 feet of horizontal distance). These downward rambles can increase usual running speed by 10-15 per cent, and if the downward course suddenly flattens out, you'll often find yourself continuing to run faster than usual by about 5-10 per cent. Using a steeper incline can increase your speed even further, but it also greatly changes running mechanics. That's bad, because it makes it difficult to 'carry over' this heightened speed to normal, flat- ground running.

(2) Add competitive games to your speed session games which require bursts of speed and which increase emotional excitement. These games could include 'mini-soccer' - played on a short field with cones or hurdles as goals and two to three players per team. Other possibilities would be 'capture the flag' and 'ultimate frisbee'. These short 15- to 20-minute games can be utilised immediately after the warm-up, require minimal equipment, relieve boredom, and can give runners excellent practice at running faster than usual.

(3) Carry out a 'reaction-start' workout. You'll need at least one other person, and in fact it's more fun if you complete this session with several other runners. Basically, you and your running friends can settle yourselves in any of a number of different positions on an athletic field - Iying face down, Iying on your backs, facing forward or backward, in push-up or sit- up position, kneeling, or even seated. Then, your coach or a volunteer who is standing 50 metres or so from your group whistles, claps, or shouts - the signal for everyone to jump up and run toward him at slightly faster than race speed. Repeat this effort numerous times using various initial body positions. Also, it's a good idea to have the starter stand in different parts of the field each time, so that the runners may have to change directions quickly once they begin to run.

(4) Occasionally run races at less than your competitive distance. For example, several weeks before an important 10K, you could run a SK at your goal pace for the 10K - a tempo which would allow you to set a 10-K PR if continued for the full 10 kilometres. Completing a SK at this goal pace will not only 'teach' your neuromuscular system to function at a higher level but will also give you confidence that you can really handle the pace in a race.

Q: What are the best speed workouts for marathoners, 10-K competitors, 5-K racers, 1500-metre people, etc.?

A: Describing the 'best' workout is always fraught with perils, because workouts produce different effects - depending on the portion of the training cycle which a runner is in and how the runner actually responds to various forms of effort. However, it is possible to identify sessions which will be beneficial for most runners during their final preparations for an event (let's say in the last two months before the competition). We (Walt and Owen) have different ideas about what these workouts should be, so each of us has described his preferred workouts in the accompanying chart, along with a listing of conventional workouts for the various race distances. Walt's sessions will add great variety to your speed training. The first of Owen's speed workouts simulates a goal-race situation, and the second is designed to help you develop appropriate speed. We hope that you enjoy the workouts, many of which will represent new ways of developing speed for you. Have fun with them, and carry out at least one of the workouts once a week pretty much throughout your training year. You will definitely get faster!

In addition, bear in mind that for all runners, surging up hills at an intensity which feels slightly harder than race effort is also recommended as a speed workout. Of course, actual pace will be slower than race tempo because of the upward slope, but the stress on the leg muscles will be much greater than the stress produced during races or during intervals on flat ground, producing marked gains in efficiency and power. It' s easy to do a hill-surge workout: Just find a steep hill which runs at least 50 metres from bottom to top and do repeats. If you're a miler, the effort should feel a bit harder than running a mile; if you're a 10-K competitor it should be rougher than a 10K. Once you reach the top, jog back down and start again. Your first time out, just do a few repeats, gradually building up the number of repetitions over time until you're handling about 8-10 per cent of your weekly mileage on the uphills. This will make you a much more powerful runner, and power means speed!

Walt Reynolds and Owen Anderson