What is the best speed workout that runners can/should do?
I’m somewhat surprised that I get asked this question as often as I do, but I get it.
If you’re a runner with performance goals and you want to get faster, you probably don’t want to waste your time doing a speed workout that isn’t very effective, right?
So then, which speed workouts are worth your time and which ones should you avoid? Read more
If you remember last week’s video post, I talked about some of the different types of running workouts that you’re likely to complete as a runner. If you missed last week’s post, click here to check it out.
In this week’s post, I’m looking at the one type of workout that I didn’t touch on last week: speed training and some of the varieties of speed training that you may see.
Speed training is vitally important no matter what kind of race you are training for, from 5k to ultra marathon.
And the reason that speed training is one of the important types of running workout boils down to physiological benefits of running hard.
Speed work strengthens your heart and lungs, strengthens your bones, improves the strength and functionality of your muscles and tendons, and can also improve your form.
So yeah, it’s kind of important.
What is Your Favorite Speed Workout?
All runners, no matter your pace or your preferred race distance, can benefit from doing regular speed work.
There are a number of physiological benefits of doing speed work, but that doesn’t mean you have to enjoy doing speed work.
I really hate doing speed work.
But I keep doing it, because of the benefits and because the goals I have for my running “career” include me getting faster.
And let’s be honest, if you want to get faster you’ve got to run faster.
So I keep doing my speed work, and that includes doing some of my least favorite speed workouts as well. Read more
…to run faster.
Sage advice, I know. But how often is the truth so simple that we overlook it in order to try to find a “better” way. For us runners, we want to get faster so we try the newest shoes, the fanciest sports drink, different energy chews/gels, and whatever else is new and flashy and endorsed/promoted by Usain Bolt, Kara Goucher, or Runner’s World magazine.
But the only way to get faster is to simply run faster.