How to get faster

[Deleted User]

In order to get faster can anyone tell me what to do - I am aiming for a half marathon in March with a marathon in June. Have been doing hills and 400m reps and now stopped them and am doing 800m reps. I managed 8 quite comfortably but not sure what to do if I want to get faster. Go for doing 10 or keep at the 8 and do them faster. Help

SHADES

Mairead - if you go to www.mcmillanrunning.com (sorry can't do links), use the pace calculator and it will give you times etc for different intervals/reps. You can draw up a nice varied schedule from this.

If your training for a half and later a marathon, I would deal with the distance aspect first, then progress to the speed issue.

I do primarily distance events, and I do find mile reps really useful.

Dutch Johnny

What's your recovery time between reps? One way ro run faster would be to reduce this time. 8*800 is a good session and would be part of a balance training prog that includes distance as well as some speed work.

[Deleted User]

If I take 31/2 mins to do the 800m on the treadmill then I come off treadmill - leave it going at that pace and wait until it's done 400m so that would be half of the 31/2. Do you mean then to shorten the recovery time to increase speed?

[Deleted User]

What time are you aiming for?
If you are still slower than 1:30/1:40 you'd do better by simply running more miles...

[Deleted User]

I'm aiming for 1.40 - average about 35 miles per week

Dutch Johnny

Yes, as your body gets use to less recovery time it gets use to running quicker for longer. Reduce the recovery time slowly, if its 1.45 now reduce by 10 secs every week with every so often going back to 1.45 so see the difference.

Would agree with Pantman re time however.

[Deleted User]

Make that 50mpw and forget the speed work - try and run 6 days a week if you can.

With the faster speedwork you are training your anaerobic system for a race that is 98% aerobic. It would be like a teacher saying the class were having a test that was 98% maths and 2% French and everyone going out and doing French revision!!

Get the mileage up without injury by cutting out the speedwork (far more risk of injury with that), then you can pick up the pace on some of your runs to higher end aerobic when you have adapted to the mileage - there is no need to go over LT at your level, IMHO.

Dutch Johnny

I dunno bit of speed work never hurt anyone in improving their times no matter what pace they run at, as long as you warm up and down before and after.

Would keep it to one session mind you and perhaps not on a treadmill.