I feel the need, the need for speed!
My first year as a consistent runner, I was super disciplined.
I took the advice we discussed yesterday to heart. I ran slow, at a conversational pace, all the time.
If my heart rate crept up too high, I slowed down to a walk.
And the results were great. I finally started to run consistently.
But there was a problem.
Back in high school, I was a sprinter.
In fact, I was one of the fastest kids in the state.
So while running slow was going great, something buried deep inside was bubbling up:
The need for speed.
One hot summer day, I went down to the track and did a few hard 200-meter sprints.
I turned my hat around backward, put my sunglasses on, and pumped up the volume of “Eye of the Tiger.”
I felt like a badass.
And it made me realize that the best runners don’t always go slow. It’s energizing as hell to run as hard as you can.
If going slow is the key to going far, then going fast is the key to having fun.
The best part is by having a blend, you’ll get much fitter (but without the risk of injury).
So if 80% of your running is slow, make 20% fast.
Not only will you burn more calories and feel like you could take on the world, but there’s also a secret benefit:
Your form improves.
When you run fast, you can’t help but run well:
- Eyes forward
- Good posture
- Knees driving
- Land on your toes
- Less ground contact time
Here’s how to get the ratio right my friend.
At the end of one of your regular runs, do a few ‘strides’ (short 20-30 second speedups).
It doesn’t have to be an all-out sprint. Just faster than your normal running.
After you get comfortable with strides, add a higher-effort track interval or hill workout to your routine.
And I promise the results will be great.
That’s it for today.
Jeremy
P.S.
Most people get into running because they dream about running their first race, but it’s hard to know what to do:
- They worry about getting injured
- They don’t know how to schedule their workouts
- They don’t know what exercises to do to support their running
So I built a catalogue of training plans… everything from 5K to marathon, for both beginner and advanced runners.
They all include running schedules to help you scale and strength training guides (with videos) to prevent injuries and increase your performance.
You can grab your copy of the full catalogue here: