Looking to move a little faster this season and set a personal record (PR) in your next event? Training to run/walk faster is easier than you think and boils down to preparation, practice and patience. Here are four ways to improve your performance and cross that finish line in less time and with a smile on your face...
#1 - Go Faster: One way to improve your speed is to run or walk at a faster pace for shorter periods of time in training. Workouts like "intervals" mix 1-3 minutes of fast paced running/walking just outside your comfort zone with easy paced jogging/walking to recover. The combination of shorter, harder efforts of running and power-wallking and adequate recovery boosts your stamina and speed over time. But keep in mind speed workouts are demanding and should be sprinkled into your program once per week. Too much speed work can leave you tired and burnt out in a matter of weeks. Like cayenne pepper, a little speed goes a long way.
Here is a sample starter speed workout:
Warm up walking 5 minutes at a easy to brisk pace
Walk or run (depending on your chosen mode) for 10 minutes
Repeat 4 times: Walk or run 1 minute at a hard effort just outside your comfort zone and follow with 2 minutes of easy paced walking or jogging to catch your breath
Walk or run for 10 minutes
Finish with 5 minutes walking and stretch
Include this workout once per week for 3-4 weeks and progress by either adding 1-2 more repeats of 1/3 hard/easy intervals or by keeping the number of repeats the same (4) and adding one minute to the hard effort (2 minutes hard + 3 minutes easy). Repeat this progression for another 3-4 weeks.
#2 - Go Higher: Running and walking hills is an effective way to building leg strength and cardiovascular fitness. Hill training is similar to strength training in that is demands more strength and energy to work against the grade and gravity to climb up. After only a few weeks of hill training, you'll begin to notice moving on flatter terrain is much easier. The key is first make friends with the hills. Find a hill in your neighborhood, a hilly section of town or even a treadmill. Start with an adequate warm-up walking and then easy paced running or power walking and sprinkle in hills into your workout. If you don't have a hilly part of town, perform a hill workout on the treadmill or repeat hill intervals on a bridge or a hill in your area. Focus on keeping your torso tall and shortening your stride going up the hill and when you reach the top, run through it and lengthen your stride and gently lean from the ankles into the downhill. Include a hill workout once per week and start off gradually with a shorter time frame of 15-20 minutes to allow your body time to adapt to the impact forces of downhill walking and running. Again, a little goes a long way.
#3 - Go Easier: Training to get faster requires a balanced approach of hard and easy effort workouts. The easy and rest days are when the body and mind adapt to the demands of the harder workouts and then improve. If you push too hard all the time, the risk for burn out, injury and decreasing performance increase. Think about making a good bowl of chili...the spice plays only a small part of the total recipe. Running and walking (or even cross-training) at an easy effort level where you can talk and hold a conversation is the bread and butter of your training. It bridges the gap between the harder sessions and maintains your muscle memory workout to workout. You can gain a significant amount of speed by taking most of your workouts during the week at an easy, conversational effort. That, and making sure you are taking at least one day of complete rest. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it works! Although it will take patience to move at an easy effort, doing so lays a solid foundation of your fitness and is the beans in your chili recipe:)
#4 - Go Efficiently: We've heard a lot about automobile economy as it relates to gas mileage. Our body is no different and racing is all about energy management. The more efficiently you walk or run, the farther you'll be able to travel with less energy. The less energy you use at a given pace, the faster you can push to the finish line! Although everyone has their own unique form, there are a few things to think about while training and racing that can make a significant difference in your overall time or performance on race day. Perform the following head-to-inventory a few times while you're training and on race day when every step counts. Doing so will make you more aware of how you move through space and more economical in the end.
Head-to-Toe Inventory:
- Think head forward (not down) and eyes looking to where your want to go
- Relaxed shoulders and arms at a 90-degree bend swinging naturally like a pendulum from the shoulders (avoid crossing the center line of your body - naval)
- Hands relaxed and unclenched
- Torso tall with your hips under your shoulders
- (Runners) landing with short, quick strides under the hips (versus out in front of the body like walkers)
- (Walkers) landing on the heel in front of the body and rolling through and pushing off the toes to maintain momentum for the next stride
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