Posted: January 14, 2005

Multisport: Ask Coach Watson - Improving run speed

By: Lance Watson

Dear Coach Watson,

I will be competing in my third triathlon season this Australian summer. I have always been a strong swimmer and am extremely comfortable on the bike. I am an incredibly slow runner though. Even when I make an effort to speed up during a race I am still passed by many other people.

Do you have any training tips and techniques to increase my running speed, or do I just need to get out and run a certain route a couple of times a week, every week, and try to beat my own times?

Thank you,
Stephanie Lee

Dear Stephanie,

It sounds like you have a very solid level of performance in swimming and cycling. To make your run faster, spend some time focusing on that sport while you do maintenance work in the other two.

Add a month-long running focus to your training schedule by increasing the number of runs you complete in each week (usually by two to three sessions for experienced runners). You should also include some drill, tempo and track work -- all of which should lead to dramatic improvements in your run speed.

Here are the three main weekly sessions that you need to complete during your run focus:

1. Track
2. Fartlek
3. Endurance

Track workout
You can complete your track sessions on a running track or a road loop -- if you know the distances of the loop.

Start each session with a gentle warm-up.

Next, complete 100 meters of A, B and C running drills. You can see a video of these drills at www.trainright.com, or you can consult a local running coach.

The next set is 3 x 100 strides. Run at race pace to open your stride and prepare your body to run quickly.

The main set will be 3 x 400 at 10K race pace minus 10-15 seconds. Take 200m easy between each interval. You can add an extra repeat to the program each week.

Complete the workout with a 10-15 minute easy cool-down.

Fartlek workout
Separate your track and fartlek workouts by at least 48 hours. In your fartlek session, you will complete a 35- to 45-minute run. During this run, include four to six sustained efforts of one to two minutes each. Each effort is at 10K race pace, and take full recovery between work intervals.

Use the final 10 minutes of the run to cool down. You can add some drills and strides at the end of the workout.

Endurance workout
The endurance session is a low-intensity run of moderate duration. I would suggest you start with a 45-minute run and gradually work up to an 80-minute run. Complete this workout once per week.

Depending on your training level, you could add some other easy runs to your weekly program. These should be easy aerobic sessions of 20-30 minutes in length.

During the run emphasis, you should continue to complete one or two sessions each of swimming and cycling per week, and be sure to monitor your condition and avoid injury. After the run emphasis, you should be faster and more confident in your running ability.

Lance Watson

Lance Watson is a two-time Olympic coach and coach of Ironman champions. He works with motivated athletes of all abilities and experience levels. Lance can be reached at Coach@WatsonLifeSport.com or www.lancewatson.com.

Posted with permission from www.lancewatson.com.

© Copyright 2004 Lance Watson Professional Coaching Inc.