Improving Speed

az2wp0sye65487

Right, so I've 2 marathons under my belt, and due to do Dublin again in October.

1. DCM 2010 - 4:09:xx
2. Belfast 2012 - 4:01:xx

I wanted to concentrate on training shorter distances during May, June & July and improving my speed... but aside from just 'trying to run faster' I don't know what I should be doing really... But I'd like to aim for at least (being realistic) a sub 3:45 marathon in October.

I've started going to TRX classes so hopefully that will help with core strength & stability, and due to all the squats involved hopefully it will strengthen the legs even more.

Anyone got any links to training programmes / schedules that can help with speed? I don't have a lot of free time these days, and am not in a club. Also don't have access to a track. It will all be road running whenever I can fit in a session (whether it's early in the morning or late at night!)

RayCun

What do you do at the moment? How many runs a week, how far, any faster sessions...? How much more can you do?

az2wp0sye65487

Well, to be honest - since Belfast Marathon on 7th May I've only run twice. 5K Darkness into Light run on 12th May and The Cheetah Run 4 mile in Fota Wildlife Park on the 17th.

I've been going to TRX 3 times a week. I think part of the problem is that I don't have a specific goal in mind. When I was training for a marathon I made time to train as much as possible (although i missed a lot of training for Belfast). At the moment I'm so busy with work & college that running has taken a back seat as I've no events coming up to focus on - so I'm giving other things priority.

Rogue Runner

Can we just merge all these 'speed improvement' threads. There's loads of them already.

Join a running club, plain and simple. It's cheap (less than the cost of a pair of runners a year).
They do drills that you probably won't have the discipline to do yourself and other people will be running with you so you will get that extra "push-on" effect that comes from that.
Your speed will improve markedly.

tunguska

John Magnificent Tracker wrote: »

Well, to be honest - since Belfast Marathon on 7th May I've only run twice. 5K Darkness into Light run on 12th May and The Cheetah Run 4 mile in Fota Wildlife Park on the 17th.

I've been going to TRX 3 times a week. I think part of the problem is that I don't have a specific goal in mind. When I was training for a marathon I made time to train as much as possible (although i missed a lot of training for Belfast). At the moment I'm so busy with work & college that running has taken a back seat as I've no events coming up to focus on - so I'm giving other things priority.

If you wanna get faster stevie you gotta give running some priority. You gotta run more, plain and simple. When you run more your running economy improves, when running economy improves you become more efficient, when you become more efficient you'll be faster. Be conscious of your gait when you run. If you're all over the place, take action to correct excessive movement. For example if you notice that you're stride is too long, shorten it by using a proprioceptive cue, such as imagining theres a wall an inch directly in front of you as you run and if your stride is too long your knees will knock against this wall.
But the main thing is to run a lot. 7 days a week, at least 6. You need speed work aswell such as 400s flat out, but trying to maintain good form all the way. Repition pace work like this will really improve your running economy. Also you gotta be brutally honest with yourself about your weight, diet and lifestyle. If you're carrying excess weight then you gotta sort that out becuase it'll just slow you down. Ditto for not getting enough sleep and poor nutrition.