If a long distance amateur runner wants to improve his speed, does he have to lay off the mileage significantly, gain power and speed, and then build up again, or he can do it while keeping the high mileage?
If a long distance amateur runner wants to improve his speed, does he have to lay off the mileage significantly, gain power and speed, and then build up again, or he can do it while keeping the high mileage?
Start with finishing your easy runs with 4 to 6 times 100 m.
Ggggg wrote:
If a long distance amateur runner wants to improve his speed, does he have to lay off the mileage significantly, gain power and speed, and then build up again, or he can do it while keeping the high mileage?
"Speed" is such a universal term it's hard to answer your question. What exactly do you want to improve? Some think speed is their 40m dash time (flying start), others think it's their 100/200m PR, and some others might even consider "speed" a faster 5k time if they are running longer distances normally. Some even think "speed" is the ability to close out a 5k race faster than others.
It also depends on where you are currently at, your 400m time in comparison to your longer distances and so on.
In general, if the focus is something like a 5k, dropping mileage for speed will do more harm than it would help. Strides should be done year-round every week multiple times a week, but it doesn't necessarily improve your max sprint speed (they also shouldn't be done all-out), it's more for optimizing running form and especially learning how to relax at quick paces (it makes something like 3k or 5k pace much easier if you do strides consistently).
Lastly, your pure sprint speed (40m dash/fly) is largely genetic and you can only improve it so much. Real sprinters already set the world in early HS on fire with limited training, just based off natural ability.
Strides, hills, short hill sprints.
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