Stuck in the winter season, looking ahead to our spring and summer races, it is important to understand that now is the time to be working on SPEED!

 The winter is a great time to get indoors and focus on generating (and not losing) your top end speed.  The icy and slushy trails are good for getting in long slow mileage (zone 1-2) and improving one’s overall “running economy”. (Running economy is the ability of your body to take in and use oxygen).  For quick turnover and speed work though, you need to be on the indoor track. Track workouts should be done at least once a week as they are vital to improving running performance. 

 The point of the track is quite simple; by running faster for shorter distances, you will increase your body's aerobic capacity. Think of an athlete as a finely tuned car:  instead of burning gas you are burning oxygen and the more efficiently you burn oxygen, the faster you can go. The best part is, the more running one does at high-end speed, the easier it becomes. The body becomes conditioned to the increased stress of a track workout and over time, you will be able to run faster by handling more stress with less effort.  Your hard work will pay off as long as you stay at it! 

 Speed workouts are tough, but they should be. You are taking in great stress while running at faster speeds. Remember, you can manage, and by pushing the limits you are only improving. 

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

 Here are some suggestions to get more speed work in during the winter:

 1.  Throw in some speed on your longer runs.  Try surging for 20-30 seconds 6-8 times throughout your run.  These workouts will raise the point the lactic acid starts to build up in our body (specifically the blood). Lactic acid causes your muscles to tire and is the “burning feeling” you experience when running above threshold. This causes one to eventually slow down. By increasing the time it takes for lactic acid to build up, you increase your ability to run faster longer. Building up your track intervals and short surges also builds up your tolerance and the workouts will begin to feel easier. 

 2.  Continue to work on your top end speed with short 200 – 300m reps.  It’s natural for an athlete to think that the shorter the repetition then the faster we can go.  Instead of fighting this, it’s important to design these workouts to “naturally” go faster. 

 3.  See the end in sight.  The days are already getting longer so spring is around the corner.  Set small goals of getting to track at least once a week during the next few months to maintain your speed. 

 4.  Make sure you get 24 – 36 hours of rest in-between hard speed workouts.  The body needs this time to recover. 

 5.  Include weights and stretching, as strength training and flexibility are also key factors in improving your overall speed.