To Run Fast, You Need To Run Fast

When someone inquires about how to improve their running races or their run split in a triathlon, especially at shorter distance events, they almost always will receive that advice that in order to run fast, you need to run fast in training. While higher intensity running is certainly a component of a well designed training program, to suggest that it is imperative in order to improve one's performance is incorrect.

Since we almost always are discussing distances of 5k or more for racing, it is important to realize that all distances we are discussing are primarily fueled by the aerobic energy pathways which mean training needs to revolve around improving aerobic fitness. Even a standalone 5k only has about a 5% reliance on anaerobic systems so while some training that stresses the anaerobic systems will be beneficial, it should be a very small part of any endurance athlete's training.

It is also important to understand that all training we discuss is aerobic in nature; if we consider Friel's HR zones, zones 1 to 5a are all primarily aerobic in nature although the higher the intensity, the more the anaerobic energy systems will need to supplement the aerobic energy pathways. This is why at higher intensities the body will begin to accumulate lactate as this is indicative that there is some anaerobic metabolism occurring but the anaerobic metabolism is only supporting the aerobic system, not providing all the energy.

So, how does one race faster? One races faster by building aerobic fitness which is achieved by a progressive overload of training. Training load is the product of both volume and intensity so one can increase intensity or fitness in order to increase training load (it is rarely an good idea to increase both at once). With cycling and swimming, since they do not involve eccentric muscle contractions, it is typically much safer to increase intensity and an athlete can typically withstand a training load that is skewed very much toward the intensity side but with running, due to the damage done to the muscles with running, a much lower level of intensity can be maintained so volume becomes much more important. It is even more important to bear this in mind for those who are new to running, are returning from a layoff, often find themselves injured or have limited run frequency.

As one increases training load, there are many markers of aerobic fitness that will improve; these are primarily biochemical in nature and training in all aerobic zones (2-5a) will see aerobic fitness improve and should see the athlete able to race faster across all distances. This is why athletes will often see improvements when they focus on doing lots of zone 2 running because they will typically put in more volume then they have before and therefore they will build fitness. For most athletes looking to improve run performance, they will be best served by taking a solid block of time and focus on running easy as frequently as possible (this is why the BarryP program is so effective) at an easy pace and just put in more miles then they have in the past. You can add very small bouts of intensity to a few runs a week with 4-8x30s strides at 5k pace with 2:00 easy running between but don't worry about needing to do more; if you are putting in consistent volume and with a gradual build, you will build fitness and be able to race faster. Focus on slowly increasing your run volume to the point that you really don't have time to add any additional run volume to your week and then look at starting to look at making one of the runs harder while keeping the others easy.

As a wise man once said, "run lots, mostly easy, sometimes hard."

Shane